Touch of Fear
by popscb
Summary: A story written by myself and edited by the lovely lozxtitchx. It is a Joey and Lauren story with a twist so enjoy and let us know your thoughts !
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1 **

Laurens story was a complicated one, she wasn't any normal 19 year old girl, oh no. Lauren was a very beautiful, but complex person. At 19, she'd lived a life full of drama that your average person wouldn't experience in a life time, but for Lauren life equated drama. From a very young age she'd been embroiled in the war between her parents, having spent most of her childhood playing around her neighbours house. Her Auntie Mandy and Uncle Derek had more or less raised her along with their own children: Joey and Alice.

Derek and Mandy had been more than happy to take Lauren under their wing knowing full well that she needed something to take her mind off her home and there was no one better than her older cousin Joey. He was three years older than Lauren and always referred to her as his best friend; throughout primary school, you wouldn't find Joey mentioned in a sentence without Lauren's name being mentioned too. In secondary school it didn't change much either, they were inseparable. Where there was Lauren, there was Joey. They spent many weekends just spending time together, not really doing much in particular, just being more than happy in each other's company and that was something that hadn't changed much over the years. Joey had passed up many opportunities to go on lads weekends away or to go out clubbing so he could spend time with Lauren, not that he minded in the slightest.

It had been discovered when Lauren was 16 and had been embarrassingly stood up by her so called boyfriend, that Joey was extremely protective of Lauren. Being 19 at the time, he'd knocked the dude out cold and given him a broken nose in the process. Lauren wasn't too pleased with the display of gallantry and had ran back into the arms of her ever awaiting Uncle Jack. He too wasn't impressed with Joey's actions but was even less impressed by the thought of her been stood up and was almost out the door to finish what Joey had started. That was until Lauren had given him a stern warning and told him he'd be in the same boat as Joey - a sinking one.

Joey had grovelled for days after, apologising over and over, Lauren knew how sorry he was; not for the fact he'd hit the guy but for the fact he'd upset her. A crying Lauren was one thing he just couldn't bear to see. Things were fixed rather speedily though when Lauren had had a row with her Mum and had gone to the only place she knew; Joey. A hug from her best friend was like the magic that could fix everything.

After numerous attempts over the years her relationship with her parents didn't improve, the arrival of her sister and brother had direct impact on Lauren and she found herself spending more and more time with her Auntie Mandy and Uncle Derek. Eventually, things changed, possibly not for the better, but they changed none the less.

Max and Tanya left - they decided within three days of Tanya finding out Max's ex had returned, that they were leaving, they just upped and went. Lauren wasn't given much choice in the matter. She didn't want to go. Jack and Derek had hoped their brother and his wife would see how much their daughter craved their love, but they didn't. Instead they left without a second thought. Thankfully they had acknowledged the fact she existed and had used the money from the sale of number 5 to give to Lauren to find herself somewhere to live.

Of course, both Jack and Derek had told Lauren that she was more than welcome to stay with them, but against their will, she'd insisted she wanted to be independent and had found herself a small flat on the Square, only a few doors down from the both of them. The rest of the money was placed into her bank account, only a small portion of it taken out and put into a current account for her to live on. Given she was only sixteen at the time, she'd taken it all in her stride and got on with her life, as best she could, anyway.

Three years down the line and the Lauren that had existed a year ago was long gone, the only thing in her life that remained the same was her relationship with Joey, Alice and their parents. Joey was more than ever involved in her life, having grown closer in the past twelve months. He'd become her 999; her best friend and enemy all rolled into one.

Thinking about it, most love stories start that way. Any previous heartbreak, dark days and lonely nights can be crucially important in the grand scheme of things – sometimes we need to know what something feels like when it's wrong before we can ever really know whether it could be right, and that's one thing Lauren knew all too well – when things were wrong.

**Hello ! so this is my new story it will have daily updates ... so read, review and enjoy ! xx**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

*JL*JL*JL*

"Lauren, Lauren, come on, you, you've got to get up…" She groaned unattractively and curled back into the bed covers, absorbing as much warmth as she could. "No, come on lazy bones, it's half nine already." She cracked an eye open and was greeted the same way she had been most mornings for the past two years – Joey sat on the end of her bed, a cup of coffee exactly how she liked it in his hand, a small smile teasing his lips…

"UGH, I really hate you right now you know that?" she moaned, pulling the covers from her face.

"Morning!" he chuckled "feeling a little delicate, are we?"

"Delicate is not the word. My head feels like it's about to explode and my stomach feels like I've eaten a lead brick, I think me and my bed will be getting to know each other a little better today" she informed him as she took the tablets from him, swallowing them with the glass of water that sat on her bedside. "Did you put that there?"

Joey nodded his head, signalling yes… "Thought you might need it. You got anything to do today?"

Lauren shook her head, wincing as the movement sent an ache through it.

"You sure?" he questioned

"Ye it's Monday…I don't do anything on Monday's" she protested.

"Well don't you think you should? Like maybe go and do your food shopping, and don't say you're fine, because I've seen your fridge, Lauren, and there ain't nothing in there that doesn't have green on it or isn't growing fur" he replied, trying to ignore the fact that her top had slid down as she sat up, taking her coffee from his hands, giving him a wonderful view of her cleavage.

"Fine I'll go later, DAD" she sighed dismissively adding the latter for effect.

"You better! Right, now I know you're not dead I'll leave you to it" he informed her as he climbed from the bed, leaning down to hug her, kissing her cheek softly as he pulled away. Lauren pouted a little as he made sure to give her a squeeze, aggravating the sick feeling in her stomach.

"See you later, I'll still be here dying of self-pity." She heard him chuckle as he made his way through her flat.

"Lauren, one last thing. Take a shower. You kinda stink, babe" he shouted, the front door shutting behind him as he left. Smelling her top she was wearing, she frowned, she didn't smell _that _bad.

*JL*JL*JL*

Joey walked the few doors down to his house, praying no-one would be in. He'd had a pretty crappy night all-in-all and really needed some time alone. Pushing the key into the lock, he sighed heavily as he heard chattering and the clanking of cutlery in the kitchen. Shutting the door skilfully without a sound, he made his way to the stairs, wincing as he reached the squeaky one, his Mum appearing in the doorway.

"Ah, it is you" she proclaimed "you okay, love?"

Joey nodded his head, signalling yes, hoping it would satisfy her enough so he could disappear without another word being said; he had high hopes.

"Right, kitchen now" she proclaimed "I'll make you breakfast and you're going to tell me where you've been and why you look like you've not slept for a week"

**oh oh his Mum doesn't seem too impressed...**

**Glad you all seem to be enjoying this so far... this is the first of todays updates so i'll ne back later x**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

He sat himself at the table kitchen table, reluctantly mind, running his hands through his hair as if it would relieve some of his thoughts. Mandy pulled out the chair opposite and sat down. Joey took the mug she'd given him and brought it to his lips.

"So where were you last night? Your father said you were meant to be at work" she questioned and Joey knew he'd already lost his battle to keep schtum, his Mum was one of those women who could make you crack with a single look; and it was a look Joey all knew too well.

He rolled his eyes, feeling very small under his mother's gaze "I _was_ at work, Mum" he informed her, putting the mug on the table with a slam.

"Until half nine this morning? Rubbish, Joey" she proclaimed, leaving him shocked by her tone of voice. Normally she was a very placid person. "lying is bad for you Joseph" she scorned

"I'm twenty one, Mum. I don't need to tell you where I am 24/7" he sighed, beginning to get a little tired of being treated like a child. "but I was at work."

"When I have your girlfriend crying down the phone to me, I do, Joseph" she replied, standing up, shoving the chair back under the table before moving to the sink "she was in bits, Joey. You can't keep doing this to her. I won't allow it"

"Look, Mum, me and Chloe are over" he proclaimed "we have been for a month. It's not my fault she's still hung up on me, is it? And for your information, I went to work and them I was at Lauren's"

She scoffed and turned to him… "I should've known she would've been involved somehow. She always bloody is! I love Lauren and everything, Joey, she's like a daughter to me, but you need to stop whatever it is that's going on with her"

"She's my best friend, Mum. She was drunk at the club. I took her back to hers, put her to bed and stayed up the whole night whilst she was sick every hour. What would you rather me do? Leave and have her choke to death on her own vomit?" he questioned.

By this point Joey was shouting, his Mum too, a full-blown argument having ensued…

"Oi, what's going on in here?" Derek asked as he came through the door, throwing his paper onto the table, with the bottle of milk.

"You can deal with him, Derek. I'm sick and tired of his…his childish games. She's his cousin!" she informed him, leaving the room, the two Branning men staring after her as she walked into the hallway and pulled on her coat, jumping as the door slammed behind her.

Derek turned back to his son a couple of moments later, raising an eyebrow at him… "I think we need a little chat, don't you?"

"Nothing to talk about, Dad" Joey replied, attempting to move from the kitchen. Unfortunately Derek was able to read him like a book and despite his words knew there was definitely something that needed to be talked about.

"Sit, son" Derek sighed, pushing the kitchen chair out for Joey to sit down as he did the same "please?" Joey finally did as his father asked…. "So what was that I walked in on then?" there was a deathly silence in the room "No? Fine, I'll ask your Mum if I'm going to get the silent treatment"

"No, Dad please don't …" Joey proclaimed, running his hands over his face, working away some of the tension "Mum thinks there's something going on between me and Lauren. There's not, Dad, honestly. I'm just concerned about her, she was a right state last night and it ain't the first time either"

Derek sighed having heard some of his wife's suspicions before. "I know you are, son, we all are, but you have to see this from your mother's perspective. You're with Lauren every day, you're always together. I know, I know, you two have always been close, but there's close and then there's well, you and Lauren. She's a very beautiful girl, Joey, but she's your cousin, you can't wrap her up in cotton wool " he replied

"I love Lauren, Dad, I do, but I love her like I love Alice. I want to protect her and make sure she's okay and if that means stopping her from drinking herself into an early grave than that's what I'll do. I love her, but not like that" he admitted, his eyes staring at the patterned tablecloth as he spoke.

"Look me in the eyes and say that, son" he stated softly "Joseph?" Derek followed his son out of the hallway as Joey suddenly got up and left the room, placing his hand on Joey's shoulder as he reached him "son, tell me what's on your mind"

"I'm going to bed" he informed his father, hurrying up the stairs, slamming his bedroom door behind him. He stared around the room, and in one swift movement he swiped the CD's, books and anything else that had been lying around flying to the floor.

*JL*JL*JL*

**What's rattled Joey I wonder ? **

**Back tomorrow xx**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4 **

Lauren tried her phone again, making sure that it wasn't broken. She turned it off and then on again, looking confused as she found it in working order. Joey was quite obviously ignoring her. It had been two days since he'd left her flat that morning, and it was unlike Joey to go that long without any contact from Lauren or vice versa. But the last few days he'd not responded to any of her messages, ignored her calls and she was sure he'd been avoiding her too.

"Joe, it's me for like the 100th time" she sighed "can you call me so I know you're not dead somewhere please?"

She flipped her phone closed tossing to the bed, before going to the bathroom with the intention of cleaning her teeth. She sighed irritated, as she noticed she was out of toothpaste. "Damn you…" she murmured, remembering the conversation she'd had only a matter of days ago with Joey, she hated it when he was right, which seemed to be a lot of the time recently.

*JL*JL*JL*

Grabbing a basket from the doorway as she made her way into the Minute Mart, She made a quick mental note of what she needed which was pretty much everything. she was basically running on empty.

Filling her basket with essentials, she made her way to the till. Thanking Denise as she handed her the change, she shoved it into her purse and zipped it up, juggling with the bags as she made her way out of the shop, walking into someone as she rounded the corner.

"Woah, easy, sweetheart" the person proclaimed "Lauren, it's you"

She looked up, brushing her hair from her face, seeing her Uncle Derek standing opposite her. "Hi, Uncle Derek"

"Need a hand?" he asked, taking the majority of the bags from her

"Thanks" she replied, giggling lightly "I thought I'd do the shopping seeing as though Joey's been badgering me to do it for nearly a week"

"He has, has he?" he inquired

"Aha" she replied, trying to hide the smile from her lips as she thought of him, the thought making her go all warm and fuzzy inside "he's always done it. He made me breakfast the other morning and made me eat it. He said I was turning to skin and bone. It's quite cute, really. Don't tell him I said that though"

"Lips are sealed" he assured her, pretending to zip up his lips. They walked in silence back to her flat, Derek placing the bags on the kitchen worktop when he got there "right, darling, I'll see you tonight. You're still coming for tea, aren't you?"

"Of course. Don't I every Thursday? Will Joey be there?" she asked

"I assume so, why?" he inquired. She stayed silent… "Lauren?"

"I think he's fallen out with me" she admitted "we've not spoken in two days. He's ignoring my calls, my texts, everything. It doesn't feel right, I don't like fighting with him."

"It's Joey, darling. He does this sometimes. Don't take it personally. You'll see him tonight so you can talk to him then" he replied "see you later… about half 5 yes ?"

Lauren nodded and watched him out the flat, she really hoped she did get the chance to talk to Joey, she really didn't like the atmosphere between them.

*JL*JL*JL*

**so lot's of you are still intrigued as to where this is going and I'm afraid you'll be kept guessing a little longer... hope you and enjoy this one and i'll be beck tomorrow xx**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

The four Branning's s sat in silence at the dining room table. Mandy had cooked a huge roast dinner, and Lauren was sure they'd made all the effort so she'd eat a decent meal. She knew she didn't look her best and she'd definitely lost weight since living on her own, her drinking not helping with that either, alcohol took priority over food sometimes for Lauren, yet another thing Joey had moaned at her about.

"This is lovely, thanks, Auntie Mandy. You should teach me, I might get a decent meal at mine at least once a week then" Lauren chuckled as she placed another mouthful of potato onto her fork

"I thought Joey was meant to be eating with us?" Alice asked. Mandy's roast beef was his favourite as well as Lauren's and was seriously unlike him to miss dinner.

Derek and Mandy exchanged a look, one that didn't go unmissed by Lauren. She dropped her cutlery to her plate with a clank and pounced from the table, hurrying up the stairs, the three left at the table watching her as she went.

"Leave her" Derek stated gently, holding his wife back, stopping her from disrupting their son and his niece. He'd figured out over the last few days that there was most certainly more to familial feelings between them. Joey had essentially locked himself in his room, and Derek knew for a fact he was hiding his feelings. Lauren on the other hand, had been reliant on Joey, possibly too much on some occasions, but Derek and Lauren both knew Joey wouldn't have it any other way. Deep down everyone knew it, every one accept Lauren, who seemed to be blind to it all.

Lauren reached Joey's room, knowing full well he was in there and he was just ignoring her. She hammered on the door, the time for a softly-softly approach having long gone… "Open this door now, Joey" there was no answer "Fine, have it your way"

Thankful she'd wore her hair up and so she searched around in her brunette locks as she pulled the bun out of her hair for a bobby pin, the trick Joey had taught her, about to come in very good use. A few minutes of fiddling about and she opened the door, a triumphant smile on her face. Stepping inside, she stepped over the junk that lay strewn on his floor. She walked over to him, getting angrier as she realised he was blatantly ignoring her. Looking to his bedside table, she saw a glass of water sitting there. Picking it up, she poured it directly onto his head.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" he shook his head sending water droplets everywhere, he looked up taking in her angry posture "how did you even get in?"

She smirked and twisted the bobby pin between her fingers "Wish you hadn't taught me now, don't you?"

He stayed silent. Standing up, he pushed past her, pulling at his wet t-shirt as he went, throwing it into the building pile of clothes by his wash basket. Lauren couldn't help but stare. A lump formed in her throat as he turned back to face her, her face flushing a little at the sight of his impeccable chest. The room remained silent as Joey stormed around his room, slamming drawers shut.

"Have I done something to offend you?" she questioned nervously, breaking the silence

Joey stopped what he was doing as his heart began to pound in his chest. He closed his eyes briefly "Apart from making me fall for you? No, you've done nothing" her thought to himself.

"Because if I have, I'm really sorry" she informed him "tell me what I've done and I'll try my hardest to fix it, I promise. I miss you"

Joey sighed and opened his eyes, shaking his head "Come here" he said softly, opening his arms to her, letting her step into his hug. Immediately she snuggled into him, her cheek pressed against his still bare chest. Joey closed his eyes as he breathed in the smell of her hair; no matter what shampoo or conditioner she used, there was just a scent to her, a scent he loved, that he was addicted to, that he couldn't get enough of "It's not you, babe.

"Then what is it? I've been going out of my mind, Joey. I thought I'd really upset you" she admitted, shivers running up Joey's spine as her fingertips ran across his lower back where her hands were linked around him.

His hand ran through the length of her hair, bringing a smile to her lips "Honestly, Lo, you could never upset me. Mum and me had a row and I needed some space. I was a prat, I know"

"All you had to do was send me a text saying that you needed space" she sighed "we don't need to be around each other all the time" That might've been a lie. There was always a small part of her that felt missing whenever Joey wasn't around.

"I'm sorry, won't happen again" he assured her, squeezing her tightly, letting her go as she began to giggle. He left her a little giddy from the hug, standing in the middle of the room whilst he went to the bathroom. Snapping from her trance suddenly, she looked around at the mess, sighing heavily as she began to tidy up…

*JL*JL*JL*

Joey left the bathroom a couple of minutes later and made his way across the landing to his bedroom, stopping in the doorway as he watched the beautiful girl, his best friend, his cousin, clean his room. "What're you doing, babe?"

"Cleaning up some of your crap" she informed him "there's actually something called a floor under here somewhere. Did you know that?"

"Funny" he chuckled, taking the clothes from her, throwing them into his wash basket

*JL*JL*JL*

Mandy and Derek had waited on tenterhooks for a good half-an-hour, and Mandy's patience was beginning to wear thin… "I'm sorry, Derek. I know you said leave them but I just can't"

"Mand" Derek sighed, following his wife out of the room "Mandy!"

"Joey, Lauren, you two okay?" Mandy questioned as she reached her son's bedroom

After a couple of minutes, Lauren opened the door and walked out onto the landing. "Thanks for dinner, Auntie Mandy. It was lovely"

"Erm…ye your welcome" she said softly a little confused at the situation.

Turning back to Joey, she smiled at him warmly… "See you tomorrow, yeah?"

He nodded his head, humming a yes and kissing her cheek as she made her way past her Auntie and Uncle and down the stairs, saying goodbye to Alice who still sat in the dining room, none the wiser as to what was going on.

Derek and Mandy watched her leave, confusion etched onto their faces. The front door clicked shut a couple of minutes later and they turned back to their son, raising an eyebrow each at him as he leaned back against the wall.

"Fuck"

**Thank you all for the reviews, hope you all have a lovely Christmas and i'll be back boxing day ! Xxxx**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

*JL*JL*JL*

The next morning Lauren stood in front of her mirror analysing every single inch of her reflection. She'd woken up at 9am, which was like waking up at dawn by Lauren's standards. She didn't know why she had, but she felt the need to be up early. After all she was only meeting Joey and he'd seen her in some states over the years.

"Get a grip" she proclaimed, taking the towel from her head, shaking her damp hair loose. She ran the comb through it before blow-drying it. She couldn't get him, Joey, out of her head. Suddenly Joey had become a big thought in her head , the only thought and a permanent one at that. She felt as though there was a need to make the effort. It was almost as if she was trying to get his attention, subconsciously at least, trying to prove that she was worth more than the lazy drunk many people saw her to be.

Applying minimal make-up, she stepped into her dress, pulling her flats onto her feet. This was another change, Lauren NEVER wore dresses unless she was trying to make an impact, nights out and weddings, but there she was wearing a dress for a day out- with Joey. The sound of a text alert on her phone broke her trance and she unlocked her keypad, smiling warmly as she saw it was from Joe.

"_Hi I'll meet you in the café at 12, I'm taking you to lunch as an apology for being a crappy best friend, J xx"_

_"No apology needed Joe, but that sounds lovely thanks, See you in a bit, L xx"_

*JL*JL*JL*

Lauren looked at the clock. Still half-an-hour to wait. She actually felt a little nervous now she was sat waiting for him, she entwined her fingers together playing with them as a much needed distraction.

"Hi, Lauren, mind if I sit?" Alice questioned, breaking her train of thought

"Not at all, go ahead" she replied, motioning to the seat opposite her, smiling at her cousin

"You look lovely, Lauren. Going anywhere nice?" she asked, taking a sip of her drink

Lauren blushed a shade of red before stuttering "I erm don't actually know where I'm going"

"Got a date, have we?" she inquired teasingly , unknowingly hitting a nerve in the process.

"No, I'm meeting Joey" she informed her, swallowing a lump in her throat

"Oh right…" Alice replied, frowning a little as she took a sip of her coffee.

"What?" Lauren questioned defensively

"Nothing" she stated, shaking her head, but then had a change of thought… "Joey never took Chloe out when they were together"

Never had Lauren been more thankful for Joey's unusual earliness and presence as she was about to reply…

"Morning, well afternoon, ladies" Joey greeted them both, slinging an arm around Lauren's shoulder as he sat down next to his best friend "not been terrorising my best friend, have you, Al?"

Alice looked at them both, musing over her thoughts, watching as Joey pulled Lauren into his side. That was a strange relationship to have, even for best friends. "Nope"

"Good. Right, come on, grumpy. Let's see if I can turn that frown upside down, shall we?" Joey suggested, pulling Lauren up with him, marching her towards the exit, holding onto her shoulders "see you later, Al"

*JL*JL*JL*

"Thanks for dinner, Joey. You didn't have to go to so much trouble though" Lauren admitted as they arrived outside her flat. Joey had taken her to an Italian that they'd been to for her birthday a few years back. He'd remembered how much she'd enjoyed the food there, it seem like the perfect apology.

"I did. I was a total jerk" he replied, smiling at her weakly as they stood opposite each other

"Yeah you were" she informed him "making me think I'd done something wrong, how dare you!"

"I'm sorry, Lauren. You know that, right? I hate to see you upset. I'd do anything to make

you happy, you know I would, don't you?" he questioned, raising an eyebrow at her

She nodded her head, swallowing a lump in her throat as he stepped closer, the warmth radiating from him. "What're you doing, Joey?" she whispered, her breath hitching as he said nothing, but continued to move forward. She continued to watch his every move, her heart pounding in her chest as he licked his thumb, bringing it to the corner of her mouth and with no more than a feather-light touch, wiped something from her skin.

"You and chocolate, eh? You're obsessed" he chuckled

"It's amazing" she proclaimed, snapping from her trance, now a little flustered at the thought of what might've happened "I better get inside"

"Yeah. Today was really nice, Lo. It's always good to spend time with you. We should do it again?" he suggested

She nodded a little too enthusiastically, a smile appearing on Joey's face as he saw her so happy at the prospect of spending time with him "Sounds great, I'll see you later".

Grabbing the keys from the bottom of her bag, she unlocked her door and made her way inside. Turning as she heard Joey's footsteps walked away, she watched him, not being able to resist. Boy was she in trouble.

*JL*JL*JL*

**Hope you all had a lovely Christmas ! I'm sorry about the delay with this update FF has been playing up... Hope you enjoyed this chapter ! What's going on in Laurens head now ? **

**Back tomorrow xx**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

From that moment on things with Joey were back to the way they used to be. They had their friendship back and were happily living the way they wanted to. It hadn't stopped the questioning looks from Joey's Mum and Dad though. Each time she went round for dinner, they were full of weird looks and prying questions, Joey had caught onto it slightly and had spent a lot of his time around her flat, so she didn't get chance to question the looks.

Joey paced Laurens lounge occasionally checking his watch, he was slightly tense and he didn't know why, it's not like they hadn't been alone before. He heard footsteps behind him and turned, his mouth dropping open a little.

"You can't go out wearing that!" Joey proclaimed as Lauren walked out of her bedroom. They were going to R&R for the night to celebrate Poppy's birthday. Joey had managed to get the night off so Lauren had forced him to go, although it hadn't taken much forcing at all really.

"What's wrong with it?" she questioned, frowning as she looked down at herself. She didn't see there was anything wrong with it.

Joey shook his head… "There's nothing wrong. It's just well, you look really nice. I'm your cousin and best friend, Lauren, I really don't wanna see guys perving over you all night"

Lauren smirked, feeling a slight sense of pride at what she'd chosen to wear. "Is someone jealous of the attention their little cousin will be getting?"

Moving to her dressing table, she began to fasten a necklace around her neck, distraction hitting her as she felt the warmth of his hands hit her bare shoulders. Her eyes moved up and locked with his in the mirror, her hands moving as Joey pushed them away gently, so his hands fastening the catch. Once he'd finished, his hands remained on her shoulders, their eyes caught in an intense battle through the mirror.

"All done" he informed her, breaking the trance a long few moments later "promise me, any trouble tonight, you come get me, okay?"

She nodded her head, "Lauren?" he questioned again. Obviously he wanted a proper answer.

"Yes, Joey, I'll come find you so you can beat them up" she assured him with a smile.

"Right, good. Come on, before I change my mind" he replied.

*JL*JL*JL*

**First chapter of today... hope you enjoy **

**And please please if you read leave me a review it means a lot to us writers and shows we're not just posting for the sake of it ...**

**I'll be back later xxx**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

"Lauren Branning, are you drunk?" Joey proclaimed as the two of them staggered down the market having left the club. It was now 3am on Sunday morning and the rest of Walford was sleeping, or they would have been if Lauren wasn't being so noisy.

"I am offended, Josephine. I am not drunk" she replied, stumbling on the pavement, her stupidly tall heels failing her. Joey burst out laughing as Lauren fell to the floor "I'm staying here" she said as a matter of fact.

"Liar, liar, pants on fire. You're drunk" he informed her, joining her on the ground, laying next to her.

Lauren turned her head to him. Despite her drunkenness, she could see his eyes were dark. They were no longer the beautiful chocolate-brown she was used to seeing. They were now a much deeper brown, verging on black. Swallowing a lump in her throat, she blinked, trying to contain a giggle… "Okay, maybe just a little bit"

She smiled at him warmly, watching as his hand came up and moved some hair from her face, tucking it behind her ear…

"What're you doing?" she yelled having not anticipated his next move. Joey had grabbed a hold of her and threw her over his shoulder, standing up himself, beginning to make his way back to her flat…

"Joey, put me down" she proclaimed

"No way, you're going home" he informed her, chuckling as he heard her moaning and slapping him through his shirt. "and you should know Lauren, moaning and slapping really turns me on…so you best behave"

Staying silent as he spoke, Lauren swallowed a lump in her throat. Arriving back at her flat, Joey pulled the key out of his pocket that Lauren had given him a matter of months ago, unlocking the door. He bent his knees as he made his way inside, setting her to the ground before turning away from her, shutting and bolting the front door…

Lauren watched Joey's every move as she leant back against the wall, biting her lip…

"Want a coffee?" he inquired, raising an eyebrow at her

"Nope" she replied. There was a silence between them and he watched her as she stepped forward and pulled him towards her by the lapels of his shirt… "I want you", her eyes flickering to his lips before locking them with her own.

"Lauren, stop it, stop it" he sighed, mentally kicking himself as he pulled away

"Don't start acting the gentlemen now, Joey" she proclaimed "not after the way you've been eyeing me up all night and the way we've been dancing together. You want me, I want you"

Watching her for a couple of minutes, his eyes darted from hers to her lips and then greedily down to her pretty much on-show cleavage. He stepped towards her once again and this time he initiated the kiss, crashing his lips against hers. Their lips moved in sync with Joey gently moving them backwards, Lauren's back being pressed against the wall, a moan escaping her lips as his body pressed against hers hungrily...

Their lips were battling for dominance of the kiss as Lauren clawed at the material of his shirt. Her hands ran up his arms and to his shoulders, blindly finding the buttons, beginning to undo them. Her hands brushed against his stomach and chest as she pushed the shirt from his shoulders…

"Hmm, hello Action Man" she chuckled as she stared unflatteringly at his six-pack. Throwing caution to the wind, she began to press kisses to his chest

"I would call you Barbie, but you're much, much hotter" he informed her, moaning against her neck as she continued to press kisses to his skin

Capturing his lips with hers again, she moaned into his mouth as his hands ran up her legs as he lifted her up. Lauren groaned with satisfaction as her legs locked around Joey's waist, their crotches grounding together more firmly, her dress having ridden up to her panty line…

"All ready for me" he whispered between kisses as he pulled his lips from hers, trailing down to the skin of her neck, his teeth grazing the skin every so often

"Joey, please" she begged, pushing her hips against his as much as she possibly could

"Please what?" he questioned, his lips brushing across the swells of her ample breasts as he pulled the material of her dress down to reveal her bra. He was a little surprised to see that it was strapless. He didn't know why her dress had been strapless. What had caught his attention most was how sexy her underwear was… "Please what?"

"You know what. I want you, you want me, remember?" she inquired, her head tipping back against the wall as Joey began to kiss the skin of her breasts as his hands found the zipper of her dress, pushing it off her body. Focusing on her breasts again, Lauren moaned continuously as he lavished attention on them as his hand trailed down her stomach to her knickers , his fingers brushing against the lacy material, her hips pushing against him as he removed them.

"Fuck" she moaned as Joey pushed himself into her, burying his head into the crook of her neck. He'd made quick work of removing his clothing, their clothes in a heap on the floor around them. His speed started slow and intense, passionate almost… "Faster, Joey"

Complying with his demands, his movements sped up, the skin of their bodies repeatedly slapping together, his length brushing against her G spot every time… "Fuck me" she moaned as she fell over the edge…

Pulling out of her, he set her feet to the floor gently, watching as she regained her balance… "Should I go or?"

Immediately she shook her head, "Come to bed with me"

"Lauren, babe, I'm not sure" he admitted as he leant against the opposite wall

"Don't question it, Joey, not now, please" she begged

"But…" he began, Lauren's lips interrupting him as they pressed against his softly. She wanted him to stay, she needed it to be more than a drunken, sleazy mistake.

"But nothing. I want you to take me to bed, and you once said you'd do anything to make me happy. You're not gonna let me down, are you?"

He shook his head, holding his hand out to her. She smiled and bit her lip, taking his hand willingly as always. Joey led the way to her room, where he'd spent most nights the past few years. He laid her softly against the sheets, smiling as her lip was back in her mouth, his thumb teasing it out from between her teeth… "Lips are meant for kissing, not biting…"

*JL*JL*JL*

**well that was a chapter ay ? **

**What will happen in the morning I wonder ? Find out tomorrow! **

**Thanks for reviewing the last chapter especially the guest reviews who I can't reply too ! Xx**


	9. Chapter 9

**lets take a look at the morning after shall we ?**

**Chapter 9**

Joey woke first the next morning, he turned over in the bed, sharp reality hitting him as he saw Lauren laid next to him. He watched her for a few seconds, his fingers gently moving her hair from her face. She looked so beautiful. Sighing heavily, he climbed out of bed and redressed quickly, finding his clothes in a pile by the door, remembering he'd thrown them there last night. He quickly took another look at Lauren making sure she was asleep before he made his out of the bedroom and the flat. He dragged his feet as his way home, he didn't want to leave her, but go knows her reaction if she woke up and he was there, naked in her bed.

Reaching his front door he opened it and shut it silently and raced up the stairs to his room, skilfully dodging the squeaky step. He wasn't making that mistake again.

*JL*JL*JL*

Lauren stretched her body out sighing away the last bits of sleep. She turned her head

expecting to wake up to find Joey laid next to her, but she didn't. she woke up alone to a cold side of the bed. Her eyes shut tightly for a brief second as she rolled over onto her back. She opened them and stared up to the white ceiling, replaying the events of the night before.

*JL*JL*JL*

"Hey, is this seat taken?" Joey's head shot up at the sound of her voice as he sat in the café later that morning. It had been painful to leave her first thing, he felt like he was abandoning her, but if she was talking to him she at least wasn't angry.

He shook his head, but averted his gaze. After a few seconds of silence he looked up at her, her face softly looking back at him. "You okay?"

"I guess. You?" she questioned not really giving a committal answer.

"Same. Listen, Lauren, about last night" he began, his heart pounding in his chest as she shook her head, not really wanting to hear anymore.

"No, I know… you don't have to say anything. It was a mistake" she admitted shrugging her shoulders. It's a shame her eyes were averted though, they told a whole different story.

"Yeah, a big one. Should never happen again, right?" he inquired

She nodded her head,"Too much to drink, we got carried away. In the vault, yeah?"

"In the vault" he assured her, their eyes finally meeting. They were both slightly glazed, seemingly upset over what had just happened. It couldn't happen right ? they were best off putting a stop to things before they had properly started. "Sooo…"

"So" she repeated piercing her lips. "what's say we catch a film?" she questioned in a bid to keep things normal, film seemed like a clever plan, they'd be together but a cinema didn't really leave much opportunity for talking, which sounded like the perfect idea to Lauren.

"That…sounds like a good idea" he nodded drinking the last of his drink.

Lauren sighed with relief and smiled "Good, you can drive, film starts in an hour". She slowly started to walk out the café, joey's eyes just watching her as she left. "Come on Joey" he shook his head smiling. "We'll miss the film"

*JL*JL*JL*

**Hiya guys ! Thanks for the lovely reviews of the last chapter... were you surprised by their reactions the morning after ?**

**I'll be back later with their cinema trip ... xxx**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Their drive to the cinema was awkward to say the least. Every song that came on the radio was some form of love song or a song that related to sex somehow. They'd been driving for about half-an-hour when the car made an awful screeching noise and ground to a halt. The two exchanged a look and in unison, their heads fell back against the back of their chairs as Joey tried the ignition again with no luck.

"Please don't tell me that we've just broken down?" she begged

"Erm…" Joey replied, biting his lip nervously

"Joey" she proclaimed, hitting his arm with some force "I don't believe this"

"I didn't do it intentionally, did I?" he questioned "where's your phone? Call my Dad and tell him where we are and get him to send Jay and Dexter out" Joey began to undo his seat belt and open the door.

"em where are you going?" she frowned, fishing for her bag in the back.

"To have a look under the bonnet" he informed her

"What? You're a mechanic now, are you?" she inquired, desperately trying to bite back her laugh.

"No but I might be able to see what's wrong with it. Just call my Dad, will you?" he asked

She finally found her phone and flipped it open… "Shit"

She looked out of the car window, seeing Joey leaning into the bonnet. Sighing, she climbed out of the car, wrapping her coat around herself… "Joe"

"What're you doing out here? It's raining. Get back in the car, babe" he proclaimed

"We have a problem. My phone's kinda dead" she admitted

"What?" he inquired

"My phone's dead. Where's yours?" she questioned

"Dead too. That's why I asked you to use yours" he admitted, shutting the bonnet and grabbing Lauren's handbag from the car, locking it behind him "there's a petrol station a couple of minutes down the road. They might be able to help"

*JL*JL*JL*

Lauren stood flicking through a magazine as Joey spoke to roadside assistance. Putting the magazine down as he walked back over to her, she smiled at him warmly. "So, what did they say?"

"Sorry, babe. It won't be ready till tomorrow" he admitted, seeing the tiredness in her eyes as he spoke.

"What? Joey…" she proclaimed, tipping her head back in frustration.

"Look, we just need to go back to the car and wait for them to come and collect it, and then when they have, the cashier told me about a B&B just up the road. We'll be okay. At least we'll have somewhere comfortable to sleep, eh?"

"I guess so" she replied

**I'm mean leaving it there aren't I ? And I'm going to be even meaner and tell you I won't be updating until the new year now... it's my birthday Monday and then I'm working so I won't have chance so Happy now year in advance and see you in 2014 ! Xxx**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

They arrived at the B&B an hour later, having gone off route a little because of Joey's lack of navigation skills. Upon entering the room they were both shocked by the sight that greeted them, a double bed… "There must be some sort of mistake"

"Yeah" she sighed

"I'll go on the sofa" he informed her, making his way to the small futon over the other side of the room "you have the bed. You need it"

"What're you trying to say?" she questioned, raising an eyebrow at him, glaring at him playfully.

"Just that I want you to be comfortable and have a good night's sleep" he admitted, casually shrugging.

"Well thank you" she replied, smiling at him warmly "I'm gonna go freshen up. Why don't you see if you can get in touch with your Dad? Let him know where we are?"

Joey nodded his head in agreement, making his way to the phone on the bedside table. Smiling at him warmly, she made her way into the bathroom.

"Any luck?" Lauren questioned as she climbed into the bed. She'd stripped to her vest top and nickers, means as they hadn't really anticipated the situation, they had no things with them.

"Nope, no answer, I left an answer phone message but the probably won't get it . I'm guessing they're at The Vic or something" he sighed "I'll try again later maybe"

"Leave it. It's getting late and we're here now. Night, Joey, sleep well" she replied, switching off the bedside light, quite hastily it seemed.

"Sleep well, Lauren" he mirrored, the room being plunged into darkness.

*JL*JL*JL*

Half-an-hour or so later the two of them were still wide awake, vacantly staring into the dark. Lauren could hear Joey fidgeting on the sofa across the other side of the room and knew there was only one option. Sighing, she flicked the light on and rubbed her eyes.

"Joey?" she questioned

"Yeah, can you not sleep, babe?" he asked, sitting up so they could see each other.

She shook her head… "Neither can you. Come and get in here with me"

"That's not a good idea, Lauren, we both know it. I'll be okay" he replied, sighing heavily

"Joey, just come and get in here, will you?" she asked, her tone raising a little "it's big enough for four, never mind two Joe, Come on, it's not like we haven't shared a bed before. We've shared more than a bed if I remember rightly…" she mumbled as an afterthought.

Lauren watched as he climbed off the sofa and made his way to the bed. Smiling at her weakly, he climbed under the covers as she pulled them back. "Are you sure?"

She nodded her head, smiling warmly at him as he climbed in and sunk into the bedding, groaning contentedly, "So comfy"

"I know" she chuckled "It's like lying on feathers compared to my old rust bucket" she smiled, Joey giving a soft laugh in reply.

"Night, Lauren" he stated, moving to kiss her cheek, Lauren turning as he did, their lips meeting in the briefest of unintentional kisses "I'm sorry"

"Don't be" Lauren replied after a second of silence "kiss me again, Joey" she stared deep into his eyes, before hers flickered to his lips.

"What? Lauren, no" he sighed

"Joey, please" she begged "I can't deny this any longer"

Watching her intently for a few minutes, he eventually complied with her ask and kissed her again, his soft hands cupping her cheek as he tilted her head back a fraction, his tongue sliding into her welcoming mouth, his other hand sliding down to her waist. Her skin felt like it was on fire as he pulled her tight into his body, a moan escaping her lips as she felt him begin to harden against her thigh.

As they continued to kiss, Lauren rolled herself onto her back, Joey moving with her. Pulling his lips from hers, he looked down at her and smiled, kissing her lips once more before beginning to work his way down her neck. His hands ran down the front of her body, her body pushing against his as he brushed her breasts purposely, playing with the hem of the vest she was wearing. Pulling it up, he sighed as he noticed she wasn't wearing a bra. The fact they were both sober made this time a completely different experience to their first time, both were slower with their movements, savouring each and every part of the other's body.

"So perfect" he whispered against her neck, his words making her tingle with excitement and anticipation. Taking her breasts into his hands, he started to work almost rhythmically, lavishing attention on each one as Lauren lay beneath him in pure heaven.

Lauren's body pushed against Joey's firmly, her hands sliding to his tracksuit bottoms, beginning to push them down his legs. When he'd eventually freed himself, she started a task of her own, beginning to rub slowly but firmly through the material of his boxers.

"Fuck, Lauren" he hissed

Lauren smiled triumphantly as she realised what had happened. Leaning up to kiss him, she made sure her bare top half pressed against his t-shirt clad covered chest. Deepening the kiss, she moaned as his lips pulled from hers again.

Lauren's hands entwined in his hair as his lips began to brush down her body… "Joey"

"What?" he questioned, looking up at her from where his head was between her legs

"Make love to me" she begged mumbling something else a little incoherently under her breath, Joey's movements freezing. Joey's head lifted again to meet her eyes… "Shit, I didn't mean to say that. I'm sorry"

She quickly pulled away from him, reaching for her underwear that he'd discarded at the other side of the bed… "Lauren"

She ignored him, continuing to redress. Climbing from the bed, he pulled his tracksuit bottoms back onto his body, following her across the room to the sofa. What he saw next broke his heart; Lauren sat on the sofa, crying… "Baby, stop, please"

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it" she admitted, not being able to meet his eyes "fuck it, who am I kidding? I meant it, Joey, but I didn't mean to say it out loud, no this can't happen, can it? No I can't, I'm just…"

She was cut off by Joey's lips pressing passionately against hers, a whimper escaping her lips. After what felt like hours, he pulled away, his hands holding her face gently "You need to learn to shut up"

His fingers dragged across her cheek gently, wiping away her tears, her head, as if by magic tilting into the palm of his hand. "I think … you're the most beautiful girl I've ever seen, Lauren Branning. You're stubborn, god so bloody stubborn but beautiful and if you'd have let me reply before flying off into panic mode as always, you'd have heard me say I love you too"

"What?" she questioned, finally daring to look at his face

"I love you, Lo. I think I always have. I mean c'mon, I can't go a day without seeing you and if I do, it feels as though a part of me is missing. I love every single little thing about you, even the bad bits. I need you like I need air, babe"

She suddenly stood up, Joey watching her as she walked back to the bed pacing a little. Standing up again, he followed her.

**So if you've got this far then you'll guess I'm back earlier than expected ! I hope you enjoyed this chapter... things are about to get messy ! **

**Please take a sec to leave me a review they are all really appreciated ! xxx**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

"Wow" she sighed, almost a whisper, slumping onto the bed.

"Talk to me, Lauren. What're you thinking?" he asked

"I'm thinking why the hell you didn't tell me sooner? Do you have any idea how bad I've been feeling these past few weeks? After we slept together and before if I'm being honest, I've known I was in love with you and I thought it was just me so I tried to push my feelings away but I couldn't . It's been crap these last few years knowing you were the only one who I could turn to without feeling suffocated and then there's the drink… I knew I couldn't have you so that was the next best thing…" she went quiet for a while taking a breath after babbling and then suddenly had a thought, all other previous thoughts forgotten "Hang on, is this why you locked yourself in your room?" she questioned her voice borderline screeching.

He nodded his head "It's not been a walk in the park for me either. Mum and Dad think I've gone mad. They saw it way before I did, or I cared to admit at least. They knew that I'd fallen for you, and you know what? For once I'm glad that they were right. Because I knew what those feelings were but I just wasn't willing to admit it, part of me didn't want it to be true because I didn't know how you felt. I think I've loved you since that day you and your Mum had a row. You were 15, do you remember? You came to me that day needing me… since then every day I've been needing you!" he started shouted "And I thought that if I told you, you'd react badly, freak out and go off and get drunk"

"That was low, Joey" she whispered, pursing her lips together as the tears began to pool in her eyes.

"I didn't mean it like that and you know it. I didn't tell you because I was scared, scared that you'd reject me and go off with someone else" he admitted, moving to sit next to her on the bed, her face softening as he continued to speak "I couldn't bear the thought of losing you. I'd rather ignore my feelings and have you in my life than tell you and risk losing you"

Lauren slipped her hand into his and moved to sit next to him so she could rest her head on his shoulder,"I did, I do feel the same. I'm in love with you, Joey Branning and I wanna be with you, screw the consequences. I want you and I need you. You've always been my best friend and my soul mate, the only boy I've ever been in love with"

Lauren saw his hand move from where it had been resting on his lap and moved to her chin, lifting it so their faces could meet again. Smiling at her warmly, he kissed her softly and passionately, the first of what they both hoped would be many kisses full of love.

**were you expecting that ? Back later :) **

**And if your missing Joey check out my one shot called New years eve xx**


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

*JL*JL*JL*

"Joey" Lauren's voice gently spoke, so silently it was hard to guess whether she'd spoke or not. She lifted her head from her position on his chest, raising up so she could look at his face. She could see his eyes were closed but he wasn't sleeping, it was something she'd learnt over the years, one of the many things she'd learnt… "I know you're not asleep, silly. So answer me or I'll just annoy you till you do"

Joey cracked an eye open to see Lauren smiling at him, her arms resting on his chest, her eyes staring at him with a soft look in them. "I'm sleeping" After a few seconds of realising she was in the same position, he opened his eyes again "What's the matter?"

Lauren moved her position too as Joey sat up and switched the bedside table light on, propping the pillows up behind her. Joey saw a flicker of fear run across her face before she looked at him "Are we really doing this?"

"What do you mean?" he questioned

"Us. Are we really going to be together, like in a proper relationship?" she asked, her eyes looking down to her fingers, beginning to play nervously with the material of the bed sheets.

"Hey, look at me, babe" he replied, reaching across to take his hands in hers "it wasn't easy for me to say all I did and I wouldn't have said it if I didn't want to be with you. So yes, we're doing this. We're going to be in a proper relationship, no complications, just you and me"

Lauren chuckled lightly, rolling her eyes "No complications? Setting your hopes a little high there. Complicated is my middle name, not to mention the fact we're cousins"

Joey turned his body to hers, moving so he could pull her onto his lap… "Come here". Lauren shifted her position so she was sat between his legs facing him, the side of her head resting against his chest, his natural warmth providing her with comfort and security. There was silence for a while as Joey decided how to broach the subject. He placed a soft kiss to her forehead and pulled her closer to him, encouraging her to look up at him, his arms winding around her waist "Are you worried about what people will think?"

"Yeah" she whispered

"Do you remember what I promised you when you were twelve? I promised I'd never lie to you and I'm not gonna go back on that now, babe. It will be hard, we probably won't have the biggest welcoming committee and I can't promise it'll all be okay, no matter how much I want to. But I will do everything in my power to make sure you're happy and that despite what everyone else feels or thinks on the matter, we're together …No fear Lauren" he informed her.

"Do you promise me?" she inquired, the words catching in her throat as the tears began to fall

"With all my heart, babe" he replied, Lauren moving forward, their lips meeting in a sweet kiss

"Can we not tell anyone? I want it to be just us for a while" she admitted

"Of course, though I might have trouble not showing everyone you're mine" he replied, smirking against her lips as he captured them with his again, taking him down to the bed sheets with her, reaching up to flick the light off, both of them settling down in what was fast becoming their favourite place to be – each other's arms.

**I'll be back tomorrow enjoy and please continue to review :) xx**


	14. Chapter 14

**Just a quick message ... as much as I appreciate your colourful language and imaginative reviews if you leave a review calling me offensive names and ask me to f'ing update it's highly likely I won't update and not only will you be left with nothing to read everyone else would be too. So please if you want to be abusive don't review! Thanks ! **

**And on another note ... thank you to everyone else who is enjoying this and is leaving constructive comments they are really appreciated xxxx**

**Chapter 14**

*JL*JL*JL*

It was 9:30am the next morning when the two of them finally woke up. Lauren couldn't deny it had been one of the best and most comfortable sleeps she'd had in a long time, the same could be said for Joey too. There was nothing like the feeling of waking up next to each other, being greeted with a good morning kiss and being held.

"We should make a move…" Joey sighed, looking at the clock on the bedside table. They'd already breakfast because of the fact they'd overslept and their check out was in an hour.

"I'm happy right here" Lauren admitted, grinning as she patted his chest with satisfaction. "I'd happily stay here all day every day. It'd save drama"

"I know it would, babe, and I'd love to stay too, but we've gotta pick up the car and we only have this room till 11am" he replied, Lauren sighing heavily at the thought of leaving the bed and the hotel. "Come on, you've got one hour to make yourself look even more beautiful"

"Joey, don't" she proclaimed as she covered her face "I look a mess"

He teased her hand from her face as he got from the bed , but they soon flew back up "stop being silly, you look beautiful… you always do" he leaned down to her "get up"

The kiss to her neck retracted Lauren's hands from her face, her arms winding around Joey's neck instead "Get up"

"No" she chuckled

"Lauren Branning, are you disobeying me?" he questioned, raising an eyebrow at her

She nodded her head "What're you gonna do about it?"

"You know damn well what I'm gonna do about it" he informed her appearing with a glass of what looked like iced water. "you've got five seconds. Or you're going to get a very cold wake up call. I've done it before babe, I won't hesitate to do it again …One, two, three, four…"

"Okay, okay, okay" she sighed, frowning at him as she clambered out of the bed and into the bathroom, hitting his bum in the process. She really didn't want to be drenched with cold water, the first time was bad enough.

*JL*JL*JL*

It was another hour before Lauren was ready, both of them leaving the hotel room in a mad dash downstairs to the reception desk. Luckily they were only five minutes late and got off without being charged extra…

After breakfast, Lauren and Joey made their way to the garage hand-in-hand, savouring it while they could, they wouldn't be able to do it when they got back to Walford "You know, I'm kinda glad we broke down now"

"Seriously, babe, how can you be happy we broke down?" he inquired "you missed your film too"

"Think about it. If we hadn't of broken down, we wouldn't have had to stay in the hotel and we wouldn't have talked and right now, we'd still be miserable acting as though we didn't have feelings for each other" she explained "so really, it worked out for the best"

"Okay you're logic is a bit _weird; _but, when you put it like that" he replied, smiling at her warmly "I'm glad we broke down too"

Lauren moved closer to Joey as they continued to walk, hooking her arm through his, sighing contentedly as he kissed her forehead. They walked the rest of the way in a comfortable silence whilst Joey tried to remember the directions he'd been given. Fifteen minutes later they arrived at the garage, Joey paying the mechanic what he was owed.

"Right then, beautiful, your carriage awaits" he informed her, opening the passenger door of his car.

She smiled at him and kissed his cheek as she slid into the car. "You're so cheesy"

Smirking at her, he shut the door and made his way round to the driver's side, beginning the drive back to Walford. As the journey continued, Lauren couldn't help but watch Joey as he concentrated on his driving, all the while becoming more and more attracted to him with each passing minute.

"What is wrong with you?" Joey questioned as they pulled up at a set of traffic lights "you can't keep still!"

"You're distracting, that's what" she admitted "do you have any idea how hot you look right now?" her eyes eagerly traveling up his muscular arms holding the wheel.

"Lauren, are you turned on?" he inquired, turning to her, a smirk on his face

"Yes" she informed him "and I know full well we won't be having sex tonight because your Mum will be watching your every move"

"I'll sort something" he assured her, squeezing her hand as the traffic lights turned to green.

**Just a quick message ... as much as I appreciate your colourful language and imaginative reviews if you leave a review calling me offensive names and ask me to f'ing update it's highly likely I won't update and not only will you be left with nothing to read everyone else would be too. So please if you want to be abusive don't review! Thanks ! **

**And on another note ... thank you to everyone else who is enjoying this and is leaving constructive comments they are really appreciated xxxx**


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

A little while later, Joey pulled into a lay-by overlooking a field. Turning the engine off, he turned to Lauren, smiling at her warmly.

"What're we doing? We've not broken down again, have we?" she asked looking out the windscreen to look for an indication of a breakdown.

"No, but I thought we could do something about your… problem" he admitted his eyes trailing down her body.

"What? Here? What if someone sees?" she questioned, shocked at his suggestion

"Do you see anyone around? And have you seen anyone whilst we've been driving?" he inquired

"Are you serious?"

"If you're up for it then so am I" he informed her "It may be a while before we get to do this again…"

Smiling at him warmly, she unbuckled her seatbelt and leant towards him, kissing him softly, a kiss that naturally deepened as Joey's hand entwined in her hair, his other hand reaching for her waist, pulling her from her seat and onto his lap. Smiling into the kiss, Lauren blindly felt for the control to move Joey's chair back, locating it successfully. Running her hands down his chest, she pulled at the hem of his t-shirt, their lips parting as Joey pulled it over his head. Smirking at him, she began to press kisses to the skin of his neck, Joey's hands working at removing her blouse. In a matter of minutes both were undressed, moaning in unison as Lauren sank onto Joey, her fingernails digging into the skin of his chest as she did. Keeping his hands on her waist to control the pace, Lauren started to move up and down on him, moving forwards, capturing her lips with his. After only a few minutes, Lauren could feel her high approaching, Joey being able to sense it too, bringing his hand down between them, rubbing his thumb over her clit lazily in time with their movements, her head burying into the crook of his neck as her high hit, Joey's high hitting too.

*JL*JL*JL*

They pulled up outside of Laurens flat about half hour later, feeling much more…satisfied. The two of them smiled as Lauren unbuckled her seatbelt. "Can't you come round tonight ?" she pouted looking at him with her best puppy eyes.

"I can't promise anything , but I'll try…" he moved forward pressing his lips to hers in a brief kiss "I'll see you later"

Lauren bit her lip and climbed from the car "See you later". Joey watched her walk away unbeknownst they'd just been seen by Derek.

**short but sweet I hope ...back later :) xx**


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

*JL*JL*JL*

"Joseph Branning ! where HAVE you been ?" his Mother proclaimed her voice shrill as she flicked the tea towel across his shoulder.

"Ow, Mum" he proclaimed "at least let me get in the front door before you start abusing me"

"Where the hell were you? I've been worried sick. Your car was missing, your phone was off, so was Lauren's, her place was empty too. I was so close to calling the police" she informed him

"I left a message on the answering machine, Mum" he replied "Lauren and I went to the cinema, but the film she wanted to see was only on at the Westgate Cinema, the one out of town. The car broke down on the way there so we went to a B&B after calling roadside assistance who took the car to the garage"

"You expect me to believe that, do you?" she questioned, raising her eyebrow at him

"Yes, Mum, because it's the truth. Ask Lauren" he replied

She sighed heavily and ran her hands over her face."I'm just glad you're back safe. Have you eaten?...right come on I'll make you some food"

"Thanks, I'm starving" he proclaimed, following her into the kitchen

After eating, he made his way to the sink, rinsing his plate and putting it to drain

"Am I making you dinner tonight?" his Mum asked

"No thanks" he replied "I'm seeing some of the lads I went to college with"

"Oh, okay. I thought it might be nice for me, you, your Dad and your sister to sit down and have a nice family meal. We've not done it in a long time" she admitted

"I'd cancel but it's been ages since I've seen them and it's been arranged for a while too" he informed her, trying his hardest to keep his face plain, he hated lying to his parents, especially his Mum.

She smiled at him weakly and squeezed his shoulder "Well you Have fun"

Sitting back down at the kitchen table to finish his coffee, he was startled when he heard Alice's voice… "You're a rubbish liar"

"Excuse me?" he questioned

"You can't lie to save your life" she chuckled "you're not going to meet your mates tonight, are you? You'll be with Lauren"

"I don't know what you're talking about, Al" he admitted

"Of course you do" she proclaimed, moving into the kitchen, shutting the door behind her "you and Lauren, there's something going on, isn't there? I saw it the other day in the café, you were acting different with each other"

"Yeah, we'd had an argument and we'd just made up, that's all" he replied

"That's bullshit, Joey" she sighed "no…as in ,_you'd both got things to say to each other but you didn't know how to tell the other,_ different. I know that you and Lauren have this weird connection, one that goes past both best friends and cousins"

"You're barking up the wrong tree, Al" he chuckled, standing up

"We both know I'm right, Joey" she replied as Joey dodged past her and up the stairs

"What's going on?" Mandy asked as she made her way back into the kitchen

"Nothing" Alice sighed

*JL*JL*JL*

Once in his room Joey began to desperately search for his phone charger, locating it and plugging it in, he began to call Lauren in a panic.

Once in his room, Joey began to desperately search for his phone charger, finally locating it and plugging it in, beginning to call Lauren in a panic…

_"The mobile phone you are calling is switched off. Please try again later"_

"Crap" he proclaimed, flopping down on his bed. He needed to talk to her now.

**sorry guys I was meant to upload this last night and completely forgot ! I promise i'll update again today xx**


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

*JL*JL*JL*

Lauren was sitting on her sofa later that evening, watching some mind-numbing rubbish on the TV, a tub of ice-cream nestled in her grip, all cosy in her pyjamas, when the buzzer sounded.

"Hello?" she questioned as she picked up the handset

"Hello, darling, it's Uncle Derek"

"Hi, come on up" she replied, pressing the enter button and putting her door on the latch

"Hi, sweetheart" Derek greeted her as he walked into the flat as she switched the kettle on "I took this in for you yesterday. It looked important"

"Thank you" she proclaimed "I've been waiting for these to arrive"

"What are they?" he asked as he made his way into the kitchen, beginning to make them both a warm drink. Derek was used to doing that, he's learnt unless you made it yourself you wouldn't get a drink. Lauren didn't make drinks, especially hot ones- too much effort in her book.

"Paint boards" she informed him, tearing off the brown paper they were covered in .

"Thinking of getting back into your art then?" he inquired

"Yeah" she replied "Joey said I should and I've been thinking about it a while"

"Well I for one am glad" he admitted, handing her the drink he'd made her "you always have a smile on your face when you're doing something to do with art...you have a very lovely smile too"

Lauren couldn't help but chuckle. She did have a smile on her face a lot these past few months, and she couldn't deny that Joey had a lot to do with it. They were silent for a while before Derek spoke again.

"Now correct me if I'm wrong, but does that smile have anything to do with a certain son of mine?" he questioned teasingly, seeing Lauren freeze "I saw you together"

"Oh God" she proclaimed, bursting into tears. "I'm so sorry, Uncle Derek. We didn't mean for it to happen…It just did, but I love him, I really, really love him. Joey feels the same about me and we didn't want to upset anyone but we wanna make a go of this, whatever it is, we wanna make it work and…"

"Lauren, calm down" he chuckled, wrapping his arm around her shoulder "I'm not mad"

"You're not?" she questioned

"No. I've seen it coming for a long, long time" he admitted "so I'm glad to see you're finally doing something about it. As long as you're happy, that's all that matters"

"Thank you, Uncle Derek" she replied "I am, I really am"

*JL*JL*JL*

Lauren and Derek had been talking things through for a good hour, Lauren having been guaranteed on several occasions that Derek wasn't angry and was in fact happy that they'd finally decided to get together.

"it's only me babe…I told Mum I was out with friends so I get you the whole night…" Lauren froze as she heard the footsteps approaching the living room, Joey having let himself in with the key he had. "shit" he proclaimed his eyes widening as he walked in to see his father sitting next to Lauren.

"Joey" Derek smirked into his mug taking another drink. Joey stood grounded to the spot completely unable to get his body to move. The next thing he knew he felt Laurens hand slip into his and pull him down to sit next to her.

"it's alright Joe, he knows" she sighed a little defeated

"what? I mean how?" confusion flooded his face "why aren't you yelling at me ?"

"oh please, come on Joey we've seen it coming for years. I saw the pair of you kissing when you came back earlier, that just confirmed what I was already suspicious of."

"wow… and you're ok with this ?" Joey slid his hand into Laurens "we want to make this work Dad, I really love her"

"funny that, Lauren said a similar thing… I'm fine with it. Just promise me, you know what you're doing… this won't be easy."

"we know that Uncle Derek, we're going to make it work." Derek looked across to his son, seeing the love and admiration in his eyes as he looked at Lauren.

"good, right I'll leave you two to it" Derek stood to leave "and please Just be careful ok… in more sense than one" he did a quick sweep of the two of them "I'm too young for grandchildren "

The two of them blushed profusely, Derek simply laughing in response. "Dad? Can you erm… not tell Mum please?"

"tell her what?" he smiled waving bye to the both of them before leaving.

Joey and Lauren sat on the sofa, Joey stealing the half melted tub of ice cream from the table. He took a spoon full first then re loaded it feeding it to Lauren. "I'm glad he knows" Joey murmured placing the spoon in the tub.

"me too, I'm glad you're here tonight as well" she smirked moving to straddle him.

"and why's that?" His hands moved to cup her bum as she bounced gently on him. "oh still not satisfied from earlier then ?"

She shook her head, biting her lip. "hmm I could use that too, but it's nice just to be in your arms, knowing we both feel the same" she learnt forward meeting his lips with a sweet kiss.

"it feels more than nice beautiful… and one day I promise, you'll be in my arms every single night"

**so here's the last for tonight! Enjoy and i'll be back tomorrow xx**


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

*JL*JL*JL*

It had been a month since Joey and Lauren had stated seeing each other properly. It was the middle of October and the two of them had done very well to hide their affections. Some of their friends were starting to get slightly suspicious though, Lauren was drinking less but seemed happier, she was spending more time with Joey than anyone and although they were used to seeing the pair together, the way the two looked at each other gave away little clues to how they felt.

Lauren had been out shopping all morning, having gone into the city to get some more art supplies. She lazily walked into her flat that afternoon, picking up the post from the floor, grasping it in her mouth, pushing the door shut with her foot. As she made her way into the living room, she dropped her bags to the floor and took the post from her mouth. She flicked through it, groaning as she saw one was from her letting agency. Dumping the rest onto the table, she made her way to the sofa, sitting down, tucking her legs underneath her as she opened the letter, beginning to read. It was simple, she either had to renew and pay more, or get out within two weeks, she didn't particularly fancy either option.

"Babe, you in?" Joey's voice asked into the flat five minutes later. He'd had a spare key for ages but never really used it much, but now he took full advantage.

"In here" she replied

"Hey" he greeted her, a smile on his face as he leant down and kissed her softly "what's the matter?" he walked into the kitchen flicking the kettle on. "come on I sensed it the minute I walked in something's wrong"

Lauren sighed. She hated how well he could read her sometimes. "I got a letter from the letting agents. My lease is up in a couple of weeks. I've either gotta renew and pay more or get out"

Joey walked over to her and set a cup of tea into her hands, throwing the letter onto the coffee table, sitting down next to her, pulling her feet into his lap "Are you thinking of renewing?"

"Don't have any other choice, do I?" she inquired "it's not as if I can move in with my parents"

"Why don't I talk to my Mum and Dad, see if you can move in with us?" he suggested

"I'm not too sure, Joey" she admitted, biting down on her bottom lip nervously

"They asked three years ago, why would they have changed their minds?" he questioned

"Um maybe because your Dad knows we're together and your Mum is watching us like a hawk" she sighed "I don't think it's a good idea, Joe. It's fine, I'll just renew"

"Lauren, my Dad is fine with us being together, so why wouldn't he be fine with you moving in too? Mum's just being Mum" he replied, lifting his arm so she could snuggle into him, her head resting on his chest, comfort surrounding her immediately as she listened to his heartbeat. "I wanna take care of you so much, Lauren. See you every day without people getting suspicious and wake up next to you. Imagine the money you'd save too. You could put it towards our future, what do you say?"

"Only if your Mum and Dad are okay with it" she informed him, moving to look up at him, a smile appearing on his face as she spoke, a gasp escaping her lips as he connected his lips passionately with hers.

**Thank you for all the reviews of the last few chapters they are as always really appreciated :) this was meant to be up yesterday but FF wouldn't let me upload:( xx**


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

*JL*JL*JL*

The two of them walked the few doors down to Joey's, Lauren an image of tension as she walked close to Joey, wanting him to just take her hand and give her some sort of comfort. Unbeknown to Lauren, Joey wanted to do the same, but unfortunately they couldn't, they couldn't risk being caught, not yet.

Placing his hand on her lower back, Joey encouraged Lauren up the path to his front door. Unlocking it, he gave her a gentle nudge inside, shutting the door behind them. "Mum, Dad, you in?"

"Oh, Lauren, we didn't realise you were coming, love" Mandy admitted, smiling warmly at her "you okay, darling? You look nervous"

Lauren's eyes fell to the floor, stealing a quick glance at Joey in the process. Derek caught his son's gaze and took a breath "Shall we go into the living room?"

Leading Lauren into the living room, they sat down on one sofa, Derek and Mandy on the other.

"Can someone tell me what's going on please?" Mandy proclaimed

"Lauren's got a bit of a problem" Joey admitted

"You're not pregnant, are you, Lauren?" Mandy asked, raising an eyebrow at her niece

"No, Auntie Mandy, I'm not. But I do kind of need yours and Uncle Derek's help with something" she informed her

"What Lauren's trying to say is, the lease is up on her flat and if she wants to stay, she has to pay more. I said that it wouldn't be a problem her staying here with us" Joey explained to his parents

"Of course it's not a problem" Mandy replied "why didn't you just say?"

"I didn't want to seem rude, and I don't want to cause any hassle" she admitted

"Nonsense" she chuckled "the sofa will do for now, won't it?"

"Lauren won't be sleeping on the sofa" Joey informed his parents "she'll be sleeping in my room"

"What?" Mandy questioned

"And I'll be getting the camp bed from the loft" he added quickly

"You're sharing a room?" she inquired, raising an eyebrow at her son

"Mandy!" Derek proclaimed

"What, Derek? They're cousins" she sighed

"And? You've never had a problem with them sharing a room before" he replied

"I just don't like the idea of it, that's all" she admitted, biting her bottom lip nervously

"I can go to the B&B if this is gonna cause arguments" Lauren admitted

"You're not going anywhere, Lauren darling" Derek assured her "Mandy, shall we make some tea?"

Nodding her head, she and Derek both stood up and left the room, the living room door closing behind them.

"What're you thinking? Letting them share a room. You know how he feels" Mandy proclaimed as Derek shut the kitchen door.

"Mandy" he sighed "he's being a gentlemen. They've shared a room before. I don't see the difference now. They're older and they know better. We should be proud of him wanting to look out for her"

"So you're okay with it?" she questioned

"Yeah, and so are you. We both know it'll cause problems if you start an argument" he replied

"Fine, I'm going to work. Tea's in the oven. Tell Joey he gets that camp bed down tonight or he's on the sofa" she sighed, leaving the room.

*JL*JL*JL*

Joey and Lauren waited in the living room, listening to the muffled conversation between Mandy and Derek. Hearing the front door shut, Lauren sighed heavily… "This was a bad idea, Joe. I should just go home"

"This is your home, babe" Joey replied, moving to crouch down in front of her, his hands entwining with hers.

"Joey's right, Lauren" Derek's voice informed them, their heads snapping up as he spoke

"Where's Mum?" Joey asked, raising an eyebrow at his Dad

"Gone to work. She's agreed to let you share the room, but please make sure you're careful because she'll be on your case the entire time. And make sure you get the bed from the loft too, Joey, even though you won't be using it" he stated, watching his son who's attention was firmly on Lauren. "Why don't you go and start packing some of your stuff, Lauren? I'll go and sort your lease with the letting agents"

"Are you sure?" she inquired

Derek nodded his head "100 percent"

"Thanks, Uncle Derek" she replied, hugging him tightly

"You're welcome, now go" he stated

*JL*JL*JL*

It took only a matter of hours for Joey and Lauren to pack up her flat. She didn't have too much to pack. Her clothing and some other essentials from her room were packed into two boxes and that was about it. The majority of the stuff was the letting agency's…

"I think that's everything" she informed Joey, looking around the room

"Right, are you ready then?" he questioned, lifting two of the boxes "I text Uncle Jack whilst you were packing your clothes. He said he'd come and get some stuff if we needed help, do you think we do?"

"No, I don't think so" she admitted "we've only got these few boxes"

"Okay" he replied "come on slow coach"

"Oi, I'm not slow. You're practically running" she proclaimed, seeing him stood on the path up to the pathway of his house, Lauren smiling at him warmly as he stood in the hallway, holding the door open for her… "Thank you"

The two spent the next hour organising all of her stuff and getting the camp bed down from the loft, although they both agreed it was pretty pointless, but agreeing that it would keep his Mum off their backs. When all was sorted, Lauren flopped down onto the bed and yawned loudly.

"Very attractive, babe" Joey chuckled

"Thanks" she replied "I didn't realise your room was cream"

"How many times have you been in here?" he questioned, Joey moving to rest on the bed too, Lauren immediately snuggling into his side

"I like it" she admitted "and I like that too"

"What? Me playing with your hair?" he asked She nodded, her eyes closing as he continued "You're falling asleep, babe" Joey chuckled "Lauren?" Looking down at her, he smiled at her sleeping frame warmly… "Welcome home, baby"

*JL*JL*JL*

**and may the drama begin... **


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

Lauren and Joey had been together for almost three months, they'd done an Oscar worthy job of hiding their relationship from Mandy and Alice, who were both still slightly suspicious; although they had now began to believe that that was just the way Lauren and Joey were.

The two of them loved living together, sharing a room and a bed was just a bonus. Joey was working more hours in the club as it was the holiday season and Lauren was happily spending time doing her art work, which she'd then sell online. That was another of Joeys wonderful ideas, selling her work online. It had been partly to give Lauren the confidence she still needed but also to free some space up in their room as it had ben quickly taken over by canvas' and boards.

Lauren and Mandy had grown much closer over the weeks too, and Lauren finally felt like she belonged somewhere. She was more than looking forward to Christmas which was in a weeks' time, spending it with Joey as his girlfriend was all she'd ever dreamed, even if it was only the two of them and Derek who knew.

"Is there anything you want from town whilst I'm there, Lauren?" Mandy asked brining Lauren from her painting, as she hurried about the kitchen, getting organised to go and finish her Christmas shopping.

"No thanks" she replied, smiling at her Auntie "you need to slow down, though, you'll tire yourself out Auntie Mandy"

"Haven't really got the time dear" she admitted "there's a sale on I really want to go and check out so it's either today or miss out and I still have a few things I need"

Lauren smiled at her Auntie warmly, "Better get going then, hadn't you?"

Mandy nodded her head, grabbing her handbag from the chair. "See you later, love"

"Bye" Lauren replied, watching as she left the room, the door shutting a few moments later. Lauren placed her paint brush in the water having finished another image. She washed and cleaned her thing away before making a start on her lunch.

"Hmm something smells good" the back door opening to reveal Joey.

"What're you doing here?" she asked, turning off the tap an drying her hands.

"Nice to see you too" he chuckled "I'm home for lunch, what're we having?"

"You're not having any of this" she informed him, quickly snatching the plate away from him "it's mine"

"So what do I have instead then?" he questioned

"Me?" she suggested, raising an eyebrow at him, a smirk playing on her lips.

"Sounds delicious" he replied, taking the two steps from the back door to her, crushing his lips against hers passionately "is anyone in?"

Lauren shook her head a little hesitantly

"How about we relocate somewhere comfier then?" Joey inquired

Lauren nodded her head in agreement, letting Joey take her hand and lead her through into the living room, their lips barley parting. Shutting the door behind them, they sat down on the sofa, or more like plunged to it, Lauren straddling Joey as their lips met again, his hands beginning to work at removing her vest top. The kiss began to get heated, as it pretty much always did between the two of them.

"I forgot my…" Mandy's voice spoke "what the hell is this?"

"Mum!" Joey proclaimed, he and Lauren pulling apart immediately as they turned to see a very pale looking Mandy in the doorway.

"I need to go…I need some air" she admitted, hurrying from the room, the door slamming shut behind her.

"Shit" Lauren whispered, resting her head on Joey's chest. She lifted her head after a few seconds and tugged her top back down.

**I said drama... how's Mandy going to react ? Xxx**


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

*JL*JL*JL*

The door swung open again a few minutes later, Mandy entering the room. Joey and Lauren sprang apart, his hand keeping a tight hold on hers, for support and for comfort, something Lauren was extremely grateful for.

"on second thoughts Lauren, I'd like you to go please" Mandy admitted

"No way" Joey proclaimed "where is she supposed to go, Mum?"

"At this moment in time, I don't care, Joey" she informed her son

"I know this is a shock, Mum, but this is Lauren's home" Joey replied

"The home your father and I so lovingly gave your dear cousin?" Mandy questioned "we welcomed her into our home, I treated you like you were my daughter" she said pointing at Lauren, her voice growing in volume by the second. " And this… this is how you both repay me. Joey, you forget we did this for you, to make you happy. What possessed you, eh?"

"I think I better leave…" Lauren whispered standing up but joey caught her arm, gently moving her into his embrace, but continuing the argument with his Mum.

"Apart from the fact that I love her?" he inquired, raising an eyebrow at his Mum

"Love?" she scoffed "Joey, sweetheart, you don't know the meaning of the word"

"Maybe not. But I do know that I wanna spend every single day for the rest of my life with Lauren. She makes me happy, she makes me laugh…if that ain't love then I don't know what is and there is no way she's leaving here, and if she does, I go too" he informed her

"Joey, come on" Mandy chuckled "we both know you're not capable of holding down a relationship. In a few weeks Lauren's just going to be another notch on your bedpost"

"Don't you dare" he proclaimed

"You know what… I'm glad she's not my daughter! The pair of you are so selfish…"

The tears started to fall down Lauren's face as Mum and son continued to argue, an argument she, they'd caused. Having had enough, she hurried from the room.

"That was totally uncalled for Mum…Lauren, babe wait!" Joey following her up the stairs, ignoring his Mum's calls to come back…

"Babe, what're you doing?" he asked as he entered their room to see her packing a bag.

"I think it's best if I stay at the B&B tonight" she admitted, continuing to stuff clothes into a bag

"Right, I'll come with you then" he replied, pulling his gym bag from the side of the wardrobe

"Alone" she sighed, stopping Joey from opening his chest of drawers "you need to sort things with your Mum. I can't come between you two"

"You haven't. It's her" he stated "if she can't accept us then that's her problem, not mine, not yours. Talk to me, Lo, tell me what you're thinking"

"I just wanna be on my own" she admitted, grabbing her coat from the back of the chair, hurrying down the stairs and out of the door.

Joey raced down the stairs after her but she was gone as he reached the hallway. He knew she'd come back when she was ready. Entering the living room again, he saw his Mum sat on the sofa, a whisky in hand… "I hope you're happy now. Why can't you just listen to people and get all the facts before you fly off the handle, eh? You've really hurt Lauren, and me…"

"Joey, where're you going?" she questioned

"Out" he informed her, grabbing his coat from the hook.

**so that's Lauren gone... Mandy furious and Joey... wait and find out i'll be back later xxx**


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

*JL*JL*JL*

"No you are not" She slammed the door shut again and leant against it so he couldn't leave. "In there now…NOW!" She pointed to the living room walking in behind him.

"You need to calm down before you start saying things that really hurt people. " he spoke a little calmer this time, walking over to the window to see if her could see the direction Lauren had gone. "You know it'll be a miracle if she comes back tonight…"

"Good! Then maybe she'll have got the message it isn't right …Why can't you see this isn't right?" Mandy proclaimed as she paced the living room, Joey still at the window looking for Lauren, although now it was acting as more of an opportunity not to answer his Mum. "How long has it been going on? Do not make things worse by ignoring me, Joey? How long?"

"Officially three months nearly four, but honestly, since I was about 16. I don't understand why you have such an issue with us, Mum" he admitted

"Because you're cousins, Joey. This has been going on under my roof. How could I have been so stupid?" she questioned

The front door opened and Derek and Jack appeared in the doorway… "What's going on in here?"

"She" Joey shouted, pointing to his Mum "has upset Lauren, who has now run off in floods of tears"

"And do you want to tell your father why, Joey?" she asked, raising her eyebrow at her son "no, okay, I will. Well, Derek, I caught your son and his cousin, our so-called perfect niece on the sofa in a compromising position. If I'd have walked in two minutes later, they'd have been christening it"

"What? Are you and Lauren together, Joey?" Jack inquired, shock evident in his voice

"Now that's what I want to know, Jack. Whether my son is just been a complete idiot and is using his cousin for sex or whether there's at least one redeeming factor in this situation and they actually are together" Mandy replied

"I don't know why I'm even bothering to try and talk to you, you never listen. You can't see beyond the fact we're cousins. I love Lauren and she loves me. I want to be with her for the rest of my life and there's nothing you can do about it"

"Where're you going?" Mandy asked as he pushed past Derek and Jack and into the hallway, pulling his coat on

"To find Lauren" he informed them, the door shuddering as he slammed it behind him

*JL*JL*JL*

**Back tomorrow! Xxx**


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

"Lauren, babe, I know you're upset and I don't blame you, but please, just call me back so I can come and find you. I love you, babe" he sighed as he got Lauren's voicemail again, shoving his phone into his pocket, followed by his hands as he began to walk down the street.

As he walked, trying to think of places Lauren might be, he got to thinking. He didn't know how his Mum could've been so ruthless. She had no right to say the things she had and now he had an awful feeling Lauren would be drinking herself into oblivion somewhere. It was the only thing she knew when drama occurred.

"Fats" Joey proclaimed as he jogged the short distance to The Vic, being greeted by his friend as he collected glasses outside

"Joey, my man, what's going on?" he questioned.

"You've not seen Lauren, have you?" he asked

"No, man, sorry" he replied "is everything okay?"

"I hope it will be. Can you just keep her there and call me if she does turn up?" he inquired

"Course, mate" he stated

Patting Fatboy on the shoulder, he continued his search for Lauren.

*JL*JL*JL*

The noise could be heard from outside number 23. World war three had officially broken out. Mandy was fuming to say the least.

"So come on, husband, what's your opinion on this?" she questioned

"I already knew" Derek informed his wife honestly as Jack passed him a whisky "I caught the two of them kissing the day after they broke down"

" and You didn't think to mention anything to me? Or stop it from going any further?" she asked, pacing the length of the room

"No, Mandy, I didn't. It wasn't any of my business. We both saw how close they were and I'd seen it coming for years. You had too if you're honest. There was no point in trying to stop it. It would be like trying to stop rain in a monsoon. Impossible" he explained, Jack simply nodding in agreement. He too had seen the closeness and development of the relationship.

The opening of the front door caught their attention before Mandy had time to reply. A very worried looking Joey walked silently into the room, his eyes instantly scanning to see if Lauren had come home.

"Is Lauren back?" he questioned

"No, son, sorry" Derek replied "what is it?"

"She's been gone nearly two hours and I'm worried. She doesn't cope well under stress and the weather's getting really bad"

"What're we doing here then?" Jack inquired "Come on, we'll go find her"

"Oh that's it, all of you go flooding to poor, innocent Lauren" Mandy proclaimed "don't worry about the rest of your family"

"If anything's happened to her, Mum" Joey sighed

"Come on, Joe" Jack replied, motioning his nephew out the door

The three Branning men left the house and made their way into the Square, the wind that carried the snow gushing around them as they each took separate directions. Knowing if that if there was any chance of finding Lauren, there needed to be more people looking than the three of them. Joey went and found Tyler and Fatboy whilst Derek and Jack enlisted the help of Phil and Alfie.

As the night drew in the seven of them continued to search for her, all ignoring how treacherous the weather had become. They'd all reconvened in The Vic to warm up after discussing their next step. "Jack's gone down to the park. I'm going to the tube station and everybody else can just split into groups and search anywhere you can think of. We'll find her, even if we have to stay out all night"

*JL*JL*JL*

Mandy watched from the window as the majority of the residents were now out in the Square looking for Lauren. She pulled the curtain shut and went to the kitchen to occupy herself. She did feel guilty that Lauren had gone missing but she couldn't bring herself to go out to look for her either. In her eyes, what Joey and Lauren were doing was wrong on so many levels. She'd always known they were close, but this, this was too close.

She paused as she thought she heard the door. Going back to the cooker, she continued to organise food for when they eventually came in. Wiping her hands on her apron as she heard a knock, a more desperate one this time. As she approached the door, she could see a shadow, her eyes widening in shock. Never had she expected to see what she'd opened the door to. Mandy gasped quickly stepping forward as Lauren physically collapsed into her arms sobbing, her legs simply giving out from her under her. Her body had no energy as Mandy pulled her inside, shutting the door behind her as she inspected her injuries, being able to see bruises already forming in the dim light from the hallway… "It's alright, darling, it's okay, I've got you"

**whats happened to Lauren and where's Joey ? Back tomorrow xxx**


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24**

*JL*JL*JL*

Every inch of Lauren's body was shaking as Mandy cautiously helped her into the house. With every step she took, Lauren winced in pain, Mandy gently guiding her into the kitchen "I've got you, darling, it's okay. Let's sit you down"

It took a little manoeuvring but Mandy managed to sit Lauren in a chair without causing her too much pain "Tell me what happened, Lauren". She received no answer as Lauren just sat there vacantly, staring into space, showing no emotion other than the tears streaming down her face. "Let me call Joey" – Mandy froze as Lauren whimpered and grasped her hand, stopping her from leaving the room. She turned to see Lauren's eyes pleading at her with so much fear and pain in them. Mandy cautiously bent down in front of her niece and looked her over… "It's alright, I'm not leaving you"

Mandy proceeded to reach for the house phone that was on the kitchen worktop and dialled Joey's number. After only a few seconds he answered…

"What?" he questioned, his tone sharp. If she was being honest she expected it. She was just thankful he'd answered her call at all with the mood he was in.

"You need to come home. Lauren's back and she's in a bad way" she informed him whispering a little into the phone. "and quickly" she added hearing his footsteps pick up to a run and him shout something to Jack and Derek.

"is she okay?"

"No, Joey, she's not" she replied "just come home".

She quickly hung up the phone and looked back at Lauren, who hadn't moved an inch. It was only now as she switched the light on that Mandy began to notice the extent of Lauren's injuries. Before she could only see what the dim light of the hall had highlighted, but in fill light it was much worse. She'd managed to identify several bruises on her face amongst the cuts; one lay above her eyebrow, but that was only a small scratch, the deep purple bruise made up for the cut though. There was another cut on her lip which was bleeding as well as her nose, the blood seemed to be dripping from her. Other bruising lay on her shoulders where her coat lay halfway down her arms and across her higher chest. The little clothing she had on was torn in places, her tights ripped… "Look at you, Lauren. Who did this to you?"

Lauren didn't reply, instead just continued to stare across the room "Let's start to clean you up, okay?". Mandy stood up and began to root through the cupboards, finding a bowl she filled it with warm water, grabbing some cotton wool balls from the medicine cupboard. "this might sting a little…" she went to dab at the winds but became distracted by the front door.

"Lauren? Lauren? Mum, where are you?" the sound of Joey's desperate voice reached them as he burst through the doors before she even had chance to reply. His face flooded with anger as he raced over to his girlfriend "Oh my God, baby, what's happened to you?". He reached out in an attempt to brush her hair from her face, Lauren flinching, letting out a small yelp in response, causing Joey to retract his hand quickly "Lauren?"

"No, please" she sobbed, shuffling her body closer to Mandy as she began to hyperventilate and panic "Can't… breathe..."

"Come on, Joe. Let's go, let your Mum look after her, shall we?" Derek suggested, helping his son to his feet, steering him from the room. "Joey come on son" He shoot a worried glance to Lauren who was now clutching her ribs as she curled into a tiny ball on the chair, Mandy simply shaking her head at his unasked questions.

Reluctantly Joey left the room, not before giving his Mum a stern look, telling her she was to look after his girl. As he left her, he could hear her crying become more desperate.

*JL*JL*JL*

Mandy dampened a piece of cotton wool and began to slowly work the blood from her face. Wiping away the blood however, just showed what was underneath. Her face already starting to become colourful, her left eye in particular.

Lauren didn't flinch at all as her face was seen to, even though Mandy was sure she would have been in some significant pain. To Lauren, she didn't want to feel, feeling meant remembering and she didn't want to remember.

"Joey…"eventually she whispered his name, staring at Mandy as if she'd suddenly remembered his existence. Mandy knelt in front of Lauren and saw the pure fear in her eyes. Lauren swallowed harshly as she watched her aunt.

"He's here, darling, in the living room. Do you want me to get him?" she asked

Lauren shook her head quickly and shut her eyes tight. "too scared…" she whispered

"I know you are" Mandy gently reached out and wiped her thumb across her tear stains cheeks. "Can you remember what happened?" Mandy inquired

It was a while before Lauren replied and even then Mandy could see how painful it was for her to remember. "I was drinking at R&R, I only had a few, I was on my way back" she replied, squeezing her eyes shut as she felt the tears began to build again, not being sure as to whether they'd actually disappeared as Mandy had been cleaning her up. "I wanted Joe, I was just outside, making my way across the gardens about to call him and there were a few guys in there vandalising Arthur's bench. I was going to just ignore it and walk past but they started jeering at me one grabbed me and then before I knew it, they had me surrounded…I couldn't get them off and…"

Mandy took a deep breath before asking her next question "Lauren, did they…did they rape you?"

She sobbed slightly but eventually shook her head "No, but that's what they wanted. One of the bouncers from the club was finishing up and making his way home thank God. He got them off me but they'd already done this trying to keep me there… I was too panicked and scared to even thank him or for him to help me, I just ran"

Mandy turned her head to the doorway as the door creaked open, a red-eyed Joey stood there. His sniffing caught Lauren's attention "Joey" she breathed, looking up at him with her doe eyes.

Derek's hand settled on his shoulder stopping him as he went to move towards her again. "not now Joey" Mandy ushered them out the door, both of them leaving the room once again, shutting the door behind them, leaving them alone.

"I feel unclean, disgusting" Lauren admitted "I don't feel like me…"

"I can run you a bath?" Mandy suggested, Lauren nodding , needing to rid herself of what those vile men had done to her "I'll be back in a minute"

Lauren nodded hesitantly and Mandy squeezed her hand, standing up straight and leaving the room, returning a mere few minutes later once the bath was filled. Mandy saw that Lauren hadn't moved an inch "Lauren, bath's ready, darling"

Lauren tried to stand up, holding the back of the chair for support, dropping back to the chair as she failed.

"Does that hurt?" she asked

She nodded as Mandy wrapped her arm around her shoulders and eased her to her feet. They started a slow, painful walk up the stairs, Lauren's legs barely able to carry their own weight… "I've put you some clean things out, but I couldn't find any pyjamas"

"I don't have any" she admitted, blushing at her admission "I just use Joe…"

"I know, you use joeys" Mandy smiled at her gently, having now figured out the reason for so many of Joey's clothes in the wash… "You know where everything is, call me if you need anything"

"I don't want to be on my own" she whispered

"You want me to stay?" she questioned, Lauren nodded, returning to her guarded stance by the bath. Mandy saw her start to cry again and dashed to her side "Hey, it's okay, darling. Everything's going to be fine, I promise"

"how can you know that?" she sobbed

"because your strong Lauren, you have me and uncle Derek and I know Joey's never going to let you out of his sight, alright?" she saw a small nod from her niece but was unconvinced.

After asking Lauren's permission, Mandy began to strip her of her clothing, removing her skirt and tights, Lauren lifting her arms as her jacket and t-shirt came next. Mandy gasped quietly as she saw Lauren's body beneath her clothing, her stomach and sides covered in bruises. She removed her own underwear and stepped into the bath, Mandy taking in Lauren's right side where she'd been grabbed and God knows what else.

Lauren sank into the bath, the hot water submerging her, yet her body stayed tense. She sat up in the bath, her knees pulled to her chest, encasing them with her arms. Mandy sighed and sat down on the floor next to her. Without another word, Lauren allowed Mandy to begin washing her hair, much like she had done when she'd stayed over as a child. It wasn't long before the water was cold and Lauren started to shiver. Mandy was sure she'd fallen asleep a few times too. "Come on, sweetheart, let's get you to bed."

Joey and Derek were waiting impatiently in the living room, Derek sitting in his armchair, glass of whisky in his hand, not for the first time that day either, staring at the wall opposite. Joey was the complete opposite. He couldn't keep still, walking the length of the room over and over again.

"Son, you'll wear the carpet out. Why don't you sit down?" Derek suggested

"I can't, Dad. I'm worried about Lauren and right now, I wanna run out of here and find the low life, horrible, disgusting scum that did this to her" he proclaimed

"I know you do Joe, and trust me son, so do I. But Lauren wouldn't want that" he replied, stopping speaking as Mandy walked in

"How is she?" Joey asked his Mum "Mum?"

"She's sleeping" she informed me "I don't know how long for though. She's pretty restless"

"What actually happened, love?" Derek questioned

"She was on her way back here, making her way through the gardens and a group of lads cornered her. If the bouncer from the club hadn't been walking home too God knows what they would've done" she admitted "she's got some pretty bad cuts and bruises, but she's adamant she doesn't want to be checked out"

"Jack's already spoke to the police" Derek informed them "they want a statement from her but he said it can wait"

There was silence between the parents and their son, each taking in what had happened.

"Do you think I should stay down here tonight?" Joey inquired, breaking the silence

"As much as I want you to, I'm gonna say no. She needs you" Mandy replied "you need to be there for her, Joey. But please, son, don't push her into talking until she's ready"

"I really love her, Mum, you've gotta know that" Joey informed her

"I know" she assured him, smiling at him weakly as he left the living room

**:( poor L and J can they get through it ? Back tomorrow xxx**


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25**

*JL*JL*JL*

Making his way into their bedroom, he found Lauren curled into the sheets. He paused at the door, taking in her appearance, sickness rising in his stomach as he saw the cuts and bruises on her face and body that wasn't covered. He sighed heavily and walked over to the bed, kneeling down on the floor, gently leaning across to take her hand before changing his mind, remembering how she'd reacted earlier "I'm sorry I wasn't there to protect you, baby. I promised I always would be, and I wasn't"

Lauren let out a small cry, startling Joey, she wasn't sleeping at all. Her eyes shot open and even in the dark, he could see the pure fear and pain in them.

"Hey, it's alright. It's me, just me" he assured her as she readjusted her position. Her ribs throbbed much like the rest of her body. "I brought you some painkillers up. Do you want to take them?"

She nodded and reached over to grab them, Joey getting there before her, handing her the painkillers and the glass, watching her intently as she took them.

"You look tired, babe" Joey admitted

"Can't sleep" she sighed. It was the first time he'd heard her talk properly since she'd left. he cautiously reached out and held her hand. He was ready to pull away as she tensed, but she didn't she entwined her fingers with his, allowing a little contact between them.

"I'll let you sleep" he informed her, moving to stand up

"Stay with me, please" she begged "I don't want to be alone"

Joey nodded his head and smiled at her weakly, moving to sit down on the floor, resting his back against the chest of drawers, his fingers brushed weakly through her hair, smiling as her eyes closed. "I'm right here beautiful I promise"

**only a small chapter ...but any bigger and it would have ruined the effect, another chapter up later xxx**


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26**

*JL*JL*JL*

Joey shifted uncomfortably on the floor, the drawers digging into his back. Looking at the clock he saw that he'd only been there a couple of hours and to be honest, he'd not really slept. As he moved he caught a glimpse of Lauren on the bed. She was still there, which was one thing he'd been worried about.

As he continued to watch her she seemed to shift almost painfully in her sleep, her face scrunching and he was pretty sure she was crying. The next thing that happened brought tears to his eyes. Lauren started to thrash about on the bed, screaming the most heart-breaking of screams. Her body seemed to move of it's own accord.

Joey was by her side in a matter of seconds, trying his best to comfort her without scaring her in the process. He gently ran his hand up and down her arm "Lo, baby. Wake up beautiful."

Her screaming continued "get off me… leave me alone" were her screams words and Joey knew she was talking to whoever had done this to her.

"Come on, babe, it's Joey…" Her eyes flew open when he said his name. He could only watch as she sobbed into her pillow, her breathing laboured. "It's alright. It's just you and me. I won't let anyone hurt you, I promise"

Her grip on his hand tightened as her nightmare faded and reality drew in. She took sharp shallow breaths staring into his eyes, still not having spoken since she woke.

"I'm right here" he assured her, leaning up to flick the lamp on, showering the room in a dim light. Lauren watched his every move, terrified he was going to leave her. "Let's clean you up, eh?". He moved to the other side of the room to grab a box of tissues where Lauren kept her toiletries. Going back to the bed he knelt back down by the side of the bed, beginning to wipe at the blood that once again lay on her face. She'd bitten her lip in the night and aggravated the already deep cut, causing it to bleed more.

Lauren hissed as Joey cleaned the last bit of blood away, discarding the tissue in the bin… "Sorry. All done. You should try and get some more sleep"

"Leave it on, please" she begged as he went to switch off the light again

He did as she asked and started to run his fingers through her hair. As he continued this, he moved to sit back against the drawers again.

"Joey?" she sighed, moving over to the edge of the bed to look at where he was sitting again. Lauren "Hold me, please…" she whispered as tears sprung to her eyes.

" Lauren….Are you sure, babe?" he questioned not wanting to upset her either way.

"I just want to feel safe and protected" she admitted

Smiling at her warmly, he stood up and climbed onto the bed, kicking his shoes off in the process. Getting himself comfortable resting against the headboard, Lauren moved and rested her head in his lap, his fingers immediately moving to her hair, stroking through it, her hand entwining with his free one, making Joey smile as she fell asleep again, him letting his body succumb too.

**not getting any easier is it ? Back soon xxx **


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27**

*JL*JL*JL*

"Good morning beautiful…" Joey smiled as Lauren wriggled in his arms.

She mumbled something incoherently and shuffled so she was against the head board next to Joey. "Morning" she mumbled.

It had been a week since the attack now and they were beginning to get back to some sort of normality, but by no means were they back to how they used to be, that would take some time yet. They were sharing the bed again now, but Joey still kept his distance, most nights they'd end up with Joey In a sitting position, Laurens head in his lap. He didn't mind at all but he did miss the closeness, Lauren would still flinch occasionally if anyone got too close to her, holding her hand was about as much contact she could cope with. "What's today's date ?" she asked after a few seconds.

"It's Christmas eve babe" Joey smiled seeing the surprise on her face.

"It feels like I've slept for months" she sighed taking the mug of tea, she always found there when she woke. "are you working today ?" Joey had started his shifts again after having a few days off to look after Lauren, but the Christmas season was busy and Sharon needed all the man power she could get, and Joey proved to be a big supplier of that. He'd made a deal though, he'd work every lunch time shift for the next month as long as he got the night shifts off. Sharon was more than willing to agree, no one liked doing the lunch shifts.

"just the dinner time shift, 11-3, why?" Lauren looked up at him, her big brown eyes gazing into his.

"no reason, maybe I could help your mum out with the stuff for tomorrow"

Joey nodded "I think she'd appreciate that… she always moans no one ever helps her"

"I'll get up and dressed then" she slid from the bed pulling her dressing gown around her. That was another thing Joey missed, a confident Lauren. All the years he'd know her, he'd seen her in her underwear too many times and some of those times he'd rather not remember the way his body had reacted. Lauren hadn't really been one to hide her body, but neither did she flaunt what she had, not that she thought she had much to flaunt though. But Joey missed seeing her walk round with nothing but her bra and pants on, he missed it a lot. "your staring at me again…" she turned to look at him before she left the room.

"sorry…I didn't mean to" he said guiltily

Lauren shook her head, a gentle smile on her lips. "it's ok, you don't need to be sorry… it's nice to know you still find me attractive after everything…" with that she left the room, leaving Joey slightly puzzled. Hearing the bathroom door lock he went down stairs, he'd only got half hour before he needed to be in work, and he knew Lauren would take longer than that.

*JL*JL*JL*

There was silence in the kitchen as he sat at the table, his Mum rushing around in a panic, trying to organise everything. Their relationship was still fraught, a little fractured to say the least, but they were slowly trying to mend the cracks.

"Mum?" Mandy froze as he spoke, it was unlike him to start a conversation at the best of times with her never mind under the circumstances they were in. "can I ask you something ?"

"go on…" she said softly.

"do you think you could talk to Lauren for me…" he looked up to see the puzzlement on her face.

"why what have you done ? I warned you not to push her…" she raised her eyebrow accusingly, Joey slightly smiling seeing the feistiness return.

"no I didn't do anything, at least I don't think I did… it was something she said this morning"

"which was?" Mandy prodded

He took a breath frowning as he spoke, his hands clasped around the mug of tea on the table. "she said, it's nice to know you still find me attractive after everything…I think she thinks I don't find her attractive anymore or that I don't love her because of what happened"

"and do you… still love her?"

"what kind of question is that Mum, of course I still love her… if anything it's made me love me love her even more and I didn't think that was even possible."

Joey looked up to see a small smile on his Mum's lips, surprising him even more, she gently took his hand , giving it a subtly squeeze. "I'll talk to her… now go to work and bugger off out the kitchen, I've a thousand and one things to do today" she shooed him from the kitchen and watched him leave.

"was that Joe…" Lauren said softly from the stairs, catching Mandy's attention.

"yes love, he's gone to work, why, did you need him for something ?"

Lauren shook her head "no, I just didn't get to say goodbye…I always say bye ."

"well I'm sure he'll know you would've said it if you were here, now I've got plenty of things to be doing… Joey said you wanted to help?"

"I don't know how much help I'll be but…"

Mandy cocked her head to the kitchen "we'll we won't know until you try will we ?"

They were in the kitchen a while later having peeled and chopped numerous amounts of veg for the dinner that night and the big Christmas dinner the day after.

"That's it just crimp the edges now and you're done" Mandy nodded as Lauren used her thumb and finger to pinch the pastry together. "perfect… all ready for tonight" she set the pie aside and wiped the surfaces.

Lauren smiled and went to wash her hands "I've always wanted to know how to do that…"

"Didn't Tanya ever teach you ?" Mandy questioned, Lauren shook her head "nothing at all ?"

Lauren's face fell slightly "no, the only thing Mum taught me to do was to fail at marriage"

"Marriage not for you then ?" Mandy said gently seeing an opportunity to get Lauren to open up a little. She poured a dink out for Lauren and sat at the table.

"I don't know, I'd never say never, I sometimes think it is… Joey changed my mind on that front" she smiled weakly and took a sip of her drink.

"so you'd Marry Joey if he asked you then?" deep down Mandy knew the answer before she'd even asked the question, she just wondered if Lauren knew the answer herself.

She shrugged looking a little defeated. "he wouldn't want to marry me, especially not now" she mumbled, tears springing to her eyes.

"and why would you say that ay?"

"I'm not me anymore…I'm surprised he wants to be anywhere near me at all let alone marry me. I'm not worthy of him"

"oh Lauren… Joey loves the bones of you sweetheart, I know I haven't been the most supportive person of the two of you but even I can see how much he loves you. I've never seen him happier than when he's with you. He's not that type of person… if he says he loves you he means it, you only have to walk into a room, and all his attention is on you" Lauren dipped her head staring at the patterned table cloth, blushing at what Mandy had said.

"I'm scared auntie Mandy and I know I shouldn't be but I am. It's killing him I know it is, but I'm scared to let him near me." Mandy moved to kneel on the floor in front of Lauren.

"it's ok to be scared Lauren, it'd be strange for you not to be, but Joey won't hurt you. He's done his up most to protect you since he was about 13 and that hasn't changed... he just wants his Lauren back. He was worried he'd upset you and the you didn't love him anymore"

"he told you that?" Lauren asked, surprised at how open Joey had been, she knew it would have taken a lot for him to openly admit that.

Mandy nodded "This morning. So you need to get every thought of being unworthy out of that head of yours and let him in… there no rush, but just talk to him, tell him how you feel."

"I had no idea he felt like that… god I've been so stupid. I love him so much" she looked up to Mandy. "Do you think you can you help me with something?

**So Laurens finally confessed what's been bothering her, and to Mandy of all people, what does she need help with though ? **

**If your enjoying this also check out my most recent post called Vicious Circles,**

**Thanks everyone for the reviews I like to try and reply to you all when in can... unfortunately I can't for guest reviews so big thanks to you all xx**


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter 28**

*JL*JL*JL*

Later on the afternoon, Mandy had helped Lauren with her request, they'd spent the majority of time in Lauren and Joeys room, the two of them seemingly having built some bridges. "you look lovely Lauren" Mandy admired as she stood back, smiling softly at her niece. Lauren's request had been for Mandy to help her get ready. She'd spent the last week with no makeup on, hair scraped up from her face, in joggers and baggy t-shirts. Her injuries had restricted what she could do, so Mandy had helped. Lauren was now dressed in a new dress, she'd brought it a few weeks prior to moving in with Joey and had been waiting for a reason to wear it. It was loose fitting, gently skimming her shape in all the right places. The navy blue colour complemented her skin perfectly, even giving her cheeks a little colour. There was still slight bruising on her face, but she'd managed to cover them well with some make up.

"how do you feel ?" Mandy smiled as Lauren placed a grip in her curled hair.

"better…thank you. shall I start the dinner ? Joey won't be Long and neither will Uncle Derek."

"That sounds like a plan Love, you go down, there's something I want to do first" Lauren nodded and carried on down stairs to the kitchen.

*JL*JL*JL*

Lauren started by laying the table, it would be the first time in a while she and Joey would be eating with the family, the last week they'd taken to eating in their room to stop the questions and stares from the rest of the family. She placed the glasses on the table and checked on the pie in oven, everything seemed to be going to plan. It was only pudding left to make. She was making Joey's favourite-sticky toffee pudding. It was the one and only thing that she knew how to make, having had Joey teach her when she 15.

*JL*JL*JL*

"hello? Anyone home" Joey's voice ravelled though to the kitchen. Getting no answer he hung up his coat and opened the kitchen door. His jaw dropping as he saw his Lauren standing there, it was the most amazing sight he'd seen in a long time. "Babe…" he swallowed hard trying to stop the tears from falling.

"hi" she said shyly turning round to face him.

"Lauren you look amazing" he whispered.

"I thought I needed a change…" she stepped closer to him and took his hand. "I helped your Mum make dinner for tonight, it's in the oven"

"you and Mum have a good chat did you?"

she nodded "ye… you didn't upset me this morning, you have been so amazing through all this Joey, not just this last week. And I'm really sorry I've been shutting you out"

"babe it fine…I understand, I just need you to know I love you, noting will ever change that, I don't want you to think that I'm going to leave you the first sign of trouble"

"I know… it's just, I know I'm being silly but I can't help it, I'm scared…I don't want to be but I am" the tears started to fall as she took a breath "I want to be able to kiss you, to let you hold me and not feel scared"

"hey, it's ok… look at you, look how far you've come. You look so beautiful tonight, and your smiling, it's all I want Lauren, for you to be happy, as much as I miss the other stuff…I miss you being you more"

"you mean it?" she looked into his eyes as Joey made the bold move of tucking her hair behind her ear.

"every word" with that Lauren stepped forward, her cheek resting against his chest, her arms winding around his waist. Joey froze temporarily before placing his hands on her back. "is that toffee pudding" he murmured after a few seconds, seeing the mixture in the dish ready to go in the oven.

Lauren chuckled slightly "yes, made by me."

"have I told you I love you…" Lauren nodded "good because I do, never forget that"

**sorry there was no update yesterday, I was quite ill and spent the whole day in bed sleeping so here's todays chapter xxx**


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter 29**

*JL*JL*JL*

Lauren woke up early the next day, having had a very good night's sleep. The night before she and Joey had a breakthrough, and when Lauren had said she was going to bed, she immediately took Joey with her. Nothing had happened, they still weren't ready for that, Lauren still wasn't ready. They'd slept in the same bed, Joey's arms wrapped around Lauren, her head resting on his chest as he fell asleep smiling. Whatever his Mum had said to her had worked, and he couldn't thank her enough.

"Joey, Joey, wake up, baby" Lauren whispered, kissing his cheek softly. He groaned in his sleep, a small flicker of a smile on his lips as she snuggled back into his arms

"Go back to sleep" he moaned

"It's Christmas Day" she informed him as he cracked his eye open to look at her. She had the most beautiful smile on her lips… "Our first Christmas together, properly"

"Hmm, happy Christmas, beautiful" he whispered, looking down at her, her gazing up at him, their eyes questioning what to do next. Joey really wanted to kiss her, but he didn't know if it'd be a step too far. He definitely didn't want to ruin the progress they'd, she'd made in the past 24 hours. It seemed though that Lauren wanted the same as she lifted herself up and kissed his lips softly…

"I've missed that" he admitted as he reached over to his bedside table. "I've also missed many chances over the years, where we could have been together. So I got you this"

Lauren looked down at the beautifully wrapped box Joey had placed into her hand… "You didn't have to get me anything, Joey. Being with you is all I need"

"Thank you" he replied "but I wanted to get you something you could keep"

"I can keep you" she smiled

"just open it" Joey laughed

Lauren shook her head "Nu-uh, your Mum's Christmas rules state that all presents are opened together"

Joey chuckled, shaking his head at her "We never have been very good at sticking to rules though, have we?"

Reciprocating his smile, she started to pull at the ribbon that was wrapped around the box. She removed several pieces of wrapping paper before reaching another box… "What is this, pass the bloody parcel?"

"open it" Joey chuckled

Finally, after another three layers of paper, she got to the parcel that was wrapped in tissue paper. She gently and carefully opened it per Joey's instruction, a small silver chain falling into her hand… "It's beautiful, Joey"

Picking up the necklace, she examined it thoroughly, the smile not being able to be wiped from her face…

"Turn it over" he stated, smiling at her warmly

Doing as he said, Lauren gasped, tears filling her eyes as she read the engraving… "To my beautiful Lauren. My best friend, my true love and my soulmate. All my love, Joey xx"

"You really didn't have to go to all this trouble for me" she admitted

"I told you before, I wanted to. Anyway, you deserve it" he replied, leaning in to kiss her softly

"Thank you" she sighed, the feeling of Joey's kiss affecting her more than it should've so soon after what had happened. Climbing from the bed, she made her way to her wardrobe, pulling out the present she had for Joey. Making her way back to the bed… "Seeing as we're doing presents, you best have this, hadn't you?"

"I thought we did presents together?" he questioned, a smirk on his face

"I really don't think they'd care" she replied sighing.

Joey grinned at her and opened the present. He was much less delicate than Lauren had been and within seconds the paper had been torn off to reveal a canvas she'd painted of the two of them.

"Babe, this is amazing" he proclaimed. It looked like a photograph it was that good. "When did you do this?"

"A while back" she informed him "that's not all" she added handing him a gold envelope which he quickly made work of opening.

"Is this?" he questioned, his eyes widening. Lauren nodded in reply, smiling warmly at him

"I thought it could be something we do together?" she suggested, raising an eyebrow at him

"It certainly is, babe. Come here" he replied, moving towards her, kissing her softly, smiling against her lips. Lauren had bought him, well them, a day's training at one of the best cocktail bars in the West End. She knew how much he loved his bar work and being able to go on a day out and learn how to mix and do fancy things seemed like the perfect idea.

"Lauren, Joey, can I come in?" Alice's voice asked as she tapped on the door gently

"Yeah! Come in, Al" Joey replied "happy Christmas"

"Thanks, happy Christmas to you too" she mirrored "Mum and Dad want us downstairs pronto"

"Has she done Christmas breakfast?" Joey asked, raising an eyebrow at his younger sister

"Doesn't she always?" his little sister inquired "come on, we're not allowed to start until you two are there"

**It's good to see them back on track no ? Is everyone still enjoying? Leave a review and let me know :) xxx**


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter 30**

It was now a week into the new year, Christmas having proved the biggest breakthrough, Lauren and Joey were finally getting somewhere close to getting their relationship back on track after everything that had happened. Even though Mandy still wasn't 100% happy with it, she was happier than she had been because she could see how much the pair loved and adored each other. It was plain as day. Every day since it had happened, Joey had made sure he was there for Lauren, even though she'd pushed him away because she'd stupidly been scared of him. After their heart-to-heart, things had become so much clearer and for Lauren's birthday, Joey had brought her away to the B&B they'd stayed in when their relationship had first officially started.

"Joe can I have a word please" he looked confused at his Mum as she stood a little awkwardly in the hall way. The two were just about to leave to go to the B&B although Lauren still had no idea where they were going.

"ye..why don't you go sit in the car babe, I'll be two minutes" he handed Lauren the keys and she reluctantly went to the car. "you alright Mum?"

"I'm fine son, I have something for you" she walked to the lounge, Joey following confused. Mandy messed around in the dresser for a few minutes, and then placed a box in Joey's hand. "she said she'd say yes if you asked." Joey glanced between his Mum and the ring in his hand.

"This was Nana Joan's wasn't it?" Mandy nodded " I thought you'd lost this"

"no I found it Christmas eve, Lauren came down here after our little talk and I told I needed to do something, I was finding this."

"I don't really understand Mum, I thought you were against me and Lauren"

"I've never been against you Joe, it just didn't sit right with me, not then anyway. I've seen over these last two weeks how much the two of you care for and love each other. All I want is too see you and Lauren happy, you two being together makes you happy. You've been together for what six months ?" Joey nodded "then I think you've proved it's not just a fling"

Joey steeped forwarded hugging his Mum, "thanks…"

Mandy gave him a squeeze "now go, she'll think you've abandoned her, and text me when you ask her, I don't wanna put my foot in it"

Joey jogged to the car, the ring pushed safely into his coat pocket. "what was all that about ?" Lauren quizzed

"mum just wanted to say have a good time and to tell me that she's happy we're happy"

Lauren smiled and pulled her seatbelt on. "come on then driver where are we going?"

"that's for me to know and you to find out…" he smirked putting the car into gear and pulling off.

**Good evening lovely readers here's todays chapter xxx**


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter 31**

*JL*JL*JL*

"I can't believe you managed to get us the same room and everything" Lauren admitted as they entered the room, shutting the door behind them "this is perfect, Joey, thank you"

"Anything for you, babe, you deserve it" he replied

"We deserve it, you mean" she stated "it's not just me that's been through everything, is it? It's you too"

Smiling at her warmly, he kissed her softly… "So what do you want do to then?"

Lauren swallowed a lump in her throat and cupped his cheek in her hand, running her other hand up his arm, winding it around his neck, pulling him closer to her… "You"

"What?" he questioned, shocked

"I want you, I want us. I want things to be normal again" she admitted

"You mean?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at her

She nodded her head "You don't need to ask me if I'm sure, because I am, 100%. I want to feel like me again Joey, and being me is being with you…I know we're not all about sex but, it's part of us…"

"Okay" he replied, pressing his lips against hers softly "but just so you know, if you wanna stop, we will. I won't push you, we take this slow"

"I know" she stated, pressing her lips against his, leading them back to the bed

Joey's body continued to press against Lauren's as they shed each other of their clothes, their lips continuing to move against each other's too, the heat and passion increasing between them as it always did.

Lauren froze momentarily as Joey's hand dipped to caress her stomach. It wasn't for the fact she didn't want him to carry on, she did, she really did, but she couldn't help feeling insecure and self-conscious. Her body still had slight bruising from that night and it still didn't quite feel like her body, it still had their marks on it.

Joey raised his eyes to look at hers, seeing them glazed with tears "Look at me, beautiful"

Lauren complied with Joey's ask and looked up at him.

"These marks, they show how strong you are. You're just as beautiful as the day I met you" he informed her, Lauren's body instinctively pushing against his as his hands brushed the bruises

"Carry on…" she mumbled

Moans escaped Lauren's mouth as Joey continued to purposely press his body against hers, making sure that with his hands and his mouth, he touched all the places he knew made her squirm with delight…

Lauren watched as Joey's lips made their way down her body, pushing herself onto her elbows to watch him as he removed her knickers , the final piece of clothing separating them, his mouth descending onto her so softly and gently that she saw stars. Her head fell back into the pillow as her hips pushed against his mouth almost impulsively...

Entwining his hands with hers as he pushed himself into her slowly, they both sighed contentedly as their lips connected again, enjoying the feeling of being connected as one again. Keeping his lips locked with hers, Joey pulled almost fully out of Lauren, pushing back into her again, his thrusts firm but gentle at the same time. Joey ensured that Lauren fell over the edge first, and watching her come apart beneath him made him come too, pushing Lauren over the edge once more…

"You okay?" Joey asked a little while later as they lay in silence, Lauren's body tucked into Joey's

"I'm better than I've been in a long time" she admitted, her voice muffled as her head rested on his chest

"Are you sure, Lauren?" he questioned "you're really quiet. If you regret it, I understand"

"I don't" she assured him "I'm just enjoying spending time with you like this. I didn't realise how much I'd missed it. How much I'd missed you"

"I've missed you too" he admitted, pressing his lips against her hair "I'm sorry you had to go through that…"

"I know you are, but you couldn't have done anything Joe, no one could have. I'm just so thankful I have you" she murmured against his chest.

"I was thinking…" he replied

"That's dangerous" she giggled

"Oi, cheeky" he chuckled "I was thinking maybe we should start looking for a place of our own? I know it's hard us living with my parents, what do you think?"

"Wouldn't it look suspicious though?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at him

"Then maybe it's time we told people about us. We've been together for nearly six months, Lauren, I hate hiding when we're out in public. Not being able to hold your hand and wrap my arm around you kills me" he admitted

"Can we afford it?" she questioned

"Is that a yes, Miss. Branning?" he inquired, a smirk on his face as Lauren rolled her eyes

"It's an I'll think about it" she informed him

"That's a yes then" he replied confidently. He knew when Lauren said she'd think about something that nine times out of ten it meant yes. It was just another thing he'd happily learnt over the years… "I'll speak to Dad when we're home, see what we can come up with, okay?"

Nodding her head, he smiled at her warmly and brushed his lips against hers… "Best birthday ever"


	32. Chapter 32

**Chapter 32**

*JL*JL*JL*

Later on in the evening, Joey made sure he everything had planned perfectly: ring check, reservations check. Courage, not so much… He took a deep breath as he stared at the beautiful white gold ring, the blue diamond sat in the middle. He heard the shower from the en-suite bathroom stop and hurriedly shoved the ring back into his pocket, trying to look less suspicious as Lauren appeared in the doorway, wrapped in only a towel…

Joey allowed his eyes to skim over her body, a little taken aback that she was being so much more open again now, even though they had slept together… "Close your mouth, Branning. Now I need to know what to wear, so where're we going?"

"Nothing, you could just wear nothing?" he suggested, wrapping his arms around her towel clad body "I'd appreciate that"

"Yeah, and I'm sure the other one hundred people or so would too" she replied sarcastically "come on, Joey, what do I need to wear? Something dressy? Something casual? What?"

"I packed something for you actually" he admitted "look in the zipper part of your case"

"You packed something for me?" she inquired, raising an eyebrow at him

"Well Alice did so it is wearable. Take a look" he replied, watching as Lauren rummaged into her case and pulled out a fitted purple lace dress

"Well chosen, Mr. Branning. I'll be two minutes" she chuckled, hurrying into the bathroom

*JL*JL*JL*

Joey had booked a taxi to take them to the restaurant that he'd booked. It was the perfect place for him to propose. They had eaten their three courses and were coming to the end of their meal. Joey quickly looked around and stood up, quickly dropping to his knee in front of Lauren's chair.

"Oh my God, Joey, what're you doing?" she questioned

Lauren looked around to see the entire restaurant staring at them "Lauren Branning…"

"Oh God, oh God, oh God" she whispered

Joey reached up and took her hand in his "Lauren Branning, I have loved you for the last God knows how many years and I know it's taken us a long time to get to where we are now but there's not a single day goes by that I don't fall in love with you a little bit more. So what do you say, baby, will you marry me?"

Lauren remained silent for a few seconds, completely taken aback by what Joey had done… "No fear, baby". Lauren closed her eyes at the words, the memories rushing through her of every time Joey had spoken those words to her…

"No fear" she mirrored "oh alright then " she giggled

"say it properly" Joey requested

Rolling her eyes, but letting a hug smile adorn her she leaned closer to him "yes I'll marry you"

Standing up, he slid the ring onto her finger and kissed her passionately, whispering "perfect fit" against her lips, both of them pulling away a little embarrassed as they heard cheers from the customers in the restaurant

"I love you, Joey, so, so much" she informed him, kissing him softly.

*JL*JL*JL*


	33. Chapter 33

**Chapter 33**

Once her birthday was over , things settled back into a routine for the two of them. It was much easier now the house knew they were together, they didn't have to sneak around although they did sometimes feel the need to hide their affections. Mandy didn't have an issue as such anymore, after they'd come back Laurens birthday weekend and told them they'd got engaged, Mandy was too overwhelmed at the fact both Lauren and Joey were the happiest they'd been, she was no longer concerned about the cousin issue.

Joey was back to work now, working almost every day in an aim to save up for a place of their own and the wedding now. Lauren was also back to her art, she'd done a fair bit of design work for some companies after they'd spotted her work online, but mainly she stuck to drawing and painting what she wanted and sold those online. She had a pretty steady income from them, some bigger pictures fetching hundreds.

Lauren was the happiest she'd been in a long time, and it showed, it really did. She hardly drank anymore, partly because she didn't want to but also she didn't need to. She had Joey to turn to if anything ever troubled her, and she was getting used to using him and not vodka. Although she'd never admit it, she was proud of what she'd achieved, even in such a short space of time she could see how far she'd come in her life.

In other aspects though, she wasn't as happy with her progress. Her parents; Lauren used the term very loosely now, hadn't been in contact for a good few months. Not even a call on her birthday. She'd received a card with yet another cheque inside, it's what they did, just sent her money hoping to buy her forgiveness. But for Lauren it didn't work like that, she really wanted them to visit or call at least, just so she could show them she was ok. It scared her too though, she knew full well her dad wouldn't approve of her relationship with Joey and her Mum would definitely have something to say about her engagement. She felt herself pale at the thought.

"Lauren you ok darling you're looking a little peaky" Mandy asked concerned

Lauren nodded "I'm fine just thinking about Mum and Dad…"

"oh have they called" Mandy asked a little hope in her voice.

"nope, just another month gone by without anything from them at all" she sighed holing the cushion a little tighter in her grip.

"how long has it been now?"

"well before me and Joe got together, and we've been together 7 months now, so I'd say about 10 months. I still get the "I'm sorry we are crap parents" chequer each month but.."

"It's not the same" Mandy finished the sentence and moved to sit next to her niece. "I think you and Joe need some time away from here again, you were so much happier when you went away for your birthday …maybe you should book that cocktail course you got him for Christmas?"

"I already booked it… Joey's got two weeks off next month so we're going then. We might stay in London for a few days too." She smiled as she thought about what joey had said "Joey said he didn't know what he was looking forward to more the cocktail or me…" she trailed off realising what she said.

"yes well I'll be glad you'll be out the house then. We certainly don't want to be hearing his choice" she gently patted Lauren's feet and left the room slightly embarrassed.

*JL*JL*JL*

By the time Joey got home Lauren was already in bed. He'd spoken briefly to his Mum who said Lauren seemed to be acting differently. She'd said that Lauren looked distracted, and that after the two of them had eaten she vanished to the shops and hid herself in the bedroom, even avoiding dinner. Mandy had assumed it was their conversation about Max and Tanya.

He stripped down to his boxers and silently slid into the bed, pulling Lauren into his arms.

"You're home" she murmured turning in his hold, leaning her cheek on his chest. Immediately Joey could see what his mum was talking about, she seemed quiet and timid almost.

"Are you alright ? Mum's worried" he murmured his finger brushing through her hair.

"Ye I'm fine, just got a bit upset that's all I needed some time alone, so I went to the shops and just came in here. I didn't mean to worry her."

He softly kissed her "don't worry about it baby, we'll talk in the morning. Love you"

"Love you too…"

**sorry for the lack of updates, I'm back to university now so updates my be a little hit and miss, but i'll hopefully update again later xx**


	34. Chapter 34

**Chapter 34**

"Are you going to tell me what's got you so grumpy all of a sudden then?" Joey asked as he and Lauren ate dinner. She'd been skulking around the house the entire day. She'd cleaned the kitchen and their room twice, and completely avoided any form of conversation with anyone and Joey knew she was doing what she could to create a distraction from whatever was playing on her mind…

"It's nothing" she sighed, smiling at him weakly, pushing the food she'd made them around her plate

"Babe, this is me you're talking to. You can tell me anything, you know that" he replied

Looking up from her plate at him, inhaling and exhaling a breath… "I don't want you to get mad or anything…"

"Babe, just tell me, you're worrying me. You're not sick or anything are you?" he asked

"Not exactly" she replied, tears brimming in her eyes

"Then what… Hey, don't cry" he begged, moving around the table, pulling her into him as she burst into tears "oh, babe"

"I think I'm pregnant" she admitted through sobs. She felt Joey go a little tense as he held her… "Joe?"

"Have you taken a test?" he questioned, pulling away from her and standing up

She nodded once, but it was so discrete Joey barely noticed " but I was so scared, I needed you"

"What did it say?" he asked

"I don't know" she admitted. Leaving the room for a moment, she returned, holding the test in toilet paper "I couldn't look"

"Want me to?" he inquired. Lauren nodded and closed her eyes… "It's positive"

"Are you angry?" she asked

"God no, babe" he proclaimed "I'm just a bit shocked. How're you feeling?"

"Sick" she informed him "what do we do?"

"What do you want to do?" he questioned softly

"I want to keep it… I think …I don't really know" she replied "what do we know about raising a kid?"

"I'll download an app or something" he teased, a perfect smile adorning his face. His hand lifted and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear "we'll be fine"

"we'll be fine… is that all you can say. I'm really freaking out here Joey. I know nothing about kids. Nothing. I don't have a proper job, we're still living with your parents and mine well mine or go knows where…"

Joey stepped forwarded placing his hands on her shoulder "just calm down will you we'll be fine. I can't be that hard can it, people have kids everyday babe."

Lauren was about to argue when the door opened "I'm home" Mandy walked through to the kitchen dropped her bags down and then went to hang up her coat.

"This conversation isn't over" Lauren warned as she shot from her chair and into the lounge, Joey just staring at her, slightly taken aback by her feistiness.

"everything alright?" Mandy asked sensing the atmosphere

"fine" was her answer, from both the younger Brannings.

The atmosphere hung around for the rest of the night, Lauren and Joey sitting at opposite ends of the sofa which was completely out of character for their usually tactile selves.

"I'm off to bed." Lauren sighed at about half 7 "night uncle Derek, auntie Mandy"

"night darling" they heard the doors of the bathroom and then the bedroom open and close. "what was all that about?" Derek questioned Joey.

"we had a bit of a disagreement" he murmured "it's nothing she'll get over it"

"Joey don't say that… Go sort it out, she'll probably be crying herself to sleep up there"

Joey looked at his Mum cursing her internally at how well she knew them, she was right Lauren would probably be crying right now, throw her hormones into the mix and it was lightly he'd go up to find her a sobbing mess. He sighed and left the room going up the stairs.

He gently tapped on the door and pushed it open slightly, seeing her curled up on the bed, his pillow in her arms. "I'm sorry" he whispered moving closer, although he wasn't sure what he was apologising for.

"you should be" she bit back, but there was a smirk on her lips. "how could you be so calm about it Joey, just be so damn flippant, like I'd just told you we'd ran out of milk or something."

He sat on the bed pulling her up into his arms "because… believe it or not Lauren, I want to have children with you and I think we'd make alright parents, in fact I think we'd make pretty darn one's"

"So we're doing this?" she questioned, lacing their fingers together.

"Yeah" he replied

"I'm scared" she admitted. Joey knew she must've been really scared. Never did Lauren admit she was scared unless she really needed comfort.

"No fear, baby, okay?" he inquired, holding her cheeks in his hands

"No fear" she mirrored, smiling at him warmly as she leant in to kiss him

**as promised... and one of my guest reviewers guessed this ! So well done as always leave a review! Xxx**


	35. Chapter 35

**Chapter 35**

It had been three weeks since Lauren and Joey had found out they were expecting. After a trip to the doctors and then a referral to the hospital, the pregnancy was confirmed and they were told Lauren was about 7 weeks at the time, which, after some figuring out they'd narrowed the conception down to her birthday weekend or there about.

Once again the two of them were hiding the pregnancy from the family; keeping secrets seemed to be becoming a forte for them both. They wanted to wait until Lauren was at least 12 weeks along, although it was already starting to get a little difficult. Lauren was growing in more ways than one. Her super skinny jeans took a few tugs and jumps on the spot before they made their way up her legs, her bras were becoming a little too tight and her tops seemed to be slightly more taut across her stomach.

"Hello, gorgeous" Joey greeted Lauren as he climbed gently onto the bed behind her. She smiled weakly at him as she turned to him, her eyes telling him something was wrong "what's the matter?"

Lauren pushed herself up against the headboard, pulling the throw around her "Our child is playing havoc with my body. I've been sick four times today. I only had to look at that sandwich your Dad was eating and had to run and vomit. It's vile, Joe"

Joey had to try and suppress a laugh.

"Don't you dare laugh. This is partly your fault" she proclaimed, hitting him on the arm

"Ow" he replied "sorry, baby. Am I safe to kiss you or do you smell sicky?"

Lauren rolled her eyes and pulled Joey towards her, kissing him softly.

"What did you today?" he questioned as they pulled away

"I made dinner. We had pizza, I fancied pizza, well, baby fancied pizza" she replied "I did some drawing, cleaned and did some shopping. Oh, and your Mum and Dad have gone out. They said they'd be back late tonight"

"Did they say who they were going out with?" he asked

"Someone called Geoff?" she informed him as she climbed from the bed, grabbing a cardigan from her wardrobe, pulling it around her "you know him?"

"Yeah, he used to work with Dad" he explained "you cold, babe?"

"I wasn't. I was really hot this afternoon, now I'm freezing" she admitted as she climbed back onto the bed, snuggling into his body, his arm wrapping around her shoulder as she rested her head against his chest, Lauren being able to his heartbeat. "I called Fats and Tyler earlier, your going out with them tomorrow "

"I am?" he questioned. He didn't recall having plans with either of them.

"Yeah, you're going into London and going to that cocktail class" she informed him

"You changed the booking? Babe, I thought we were gonna do that together" he sighed

"How can we? I'm pregnant, Joe, and by the time I've had it and we're settled, it's gonna have run out. You might as well use it" she replied "You deserve it, Joe" she informed him "and you'll have a really good time"

"I'd have a better time if I were there with you" he admitted, smiling at her warmly as he began to change out of his work clothes "but at least you and I have got something else to do together"

"Yeah, what's that?" Lauren inquired, raising an eyebrow at him

"Bringing up this one together" he informed her, placing his hands on her stomach, his grin wide as he kissed her softly, Lauren kissing his jaw as they pulled away "will you be okay on your own the whole weekend though? Mum and Alice are bound to wanna do something. I don't want you tiring yourself out"

"I'll be fine, I promise" she assured him "as long as baby behaves"

*JL*JL*

Joey left early the next morning, leaving Lauren asleep in their bed. He wrote her a quick note and kissed her forehead, whispering "see you later, beautiful" to her as he went and "you behave yourself for Mummy", as his thumb brushed across her stomach. Looking back at her once more, he left the bedroom, shutting the door quietly behind him.

"You're up early, son" Mandy greeted Joey as she walked into the kitchen

"Christ, Mum, are you trying to give me a heart attack?" he inquired, allowing his breathing to return to normal as he turned to face her, she was obviously up for work "I'm going away on the cocktail course"

"I thought you and Lauren were doing that together?" she asked, flicking the kettle on

"We were, but she changed her mind. She wanted me to spend some time with the lads" he explained. A horn beeped outside and Joey shot up from his chair to avoid any more interrogation from his Mum… "See you"

"Bye, love" she replied, watching as he hurried from the house

As Joey left, Mandy was joined by Derek, beginning to organise the both of them breakfast.

"Mandy?" Derek called, snapping his wife out of her trance

"Sorry, love, what did you say?" she questioned

"I asked why you were so distracted" he informed her

"Something's going on between Joey and Lauren, I know it" she admitted "they've been acting weird these past few weeks, ever since that disagreement and now he's gone to London for the weekend"

"So?" he inquired, raising an eyebrow at his wife

Mandy rolled her eyes. He was missing the point… "He's gone on his own. They were meant to go together. I might call in sick to work, see if I can talk to Lauren and figure out what's going on"

"Don't go meddling, Mand. They won't thank you for it" he replied "right, I'm off to the car lot. See you later"

As she said she would, Mandy called in sick that morning. She'd told them she was going to work from home, but she didn't really have much to do. Mandy was a social worker, and worked from home most of the time anyway. As she heard movement upstairs, she lowered the volume on the TV, moving to the hallway as she heard someone heaving

"Alice, love?" she questioned

"It's Lauren" she admitted. Mandy was soon up the stairs, making her way into the bathroom, finding Lauren sat on the bathroom floor, Alice stood at the side, looking disgusted but trying to be supportive

Mandy moved to Lauren's side and slowly rubbed her back… "It's okay, love. How long have you been like this?"

"About ten minutes. Sorry, Al, I didn't mean to wake you" Lauren sighed, moving her head to the toilet bowl, vomiting again.

"It's okay, Lauren" Mandy replied, rubbing her niece's back soothingly "Alice, can you go downstairs and get Lauren some water please?"

Alice nodded disappearing from the bathroom, Mandy moving to perch on the edge of the bath "Maybe I should take you to the doctors, love?"

"I'll be fine" Lauren assured her "it's probably just a 24-hour thing"

"If you're sure, darling?" Mandy questioned, grabbing one of Lauren's bobbles from the cabinet, tying her hair back from her face "are you done?"

"hmm" she nodded

"Then it's back to bed" she informed her, helping her niece up, flushing the toilet as she went "no arguments. You know Joey would do the same"

Lauren smiled, knowing full well Joey would have her chained to the bed if he could. He was always very protective, even more so now she was pregnant…

"Thank you" she whispered as Mandy tucked her into bed

"Get some sleep, sweetie" she replied as she closed the door behind her, none the wiser that Lauren was carrying her grandchild.


	36. Chapter 36

**Chapter 36**

Lauren woke up a few hours later to the sound of her phone ringing on the bedside table. Sitting up, she smiled at her caller ID, seeing it was Joey... "Hey, you"

"Hello, gorgeous. Have you just woke up?" he questioned, chuckling softly

"Technically no. I was awoken by our child at 7:45am this morning. Honestly, Joe, I don't think I've ever been so sick in my life. It was like never ending. I even woke poor Alice up" she sighed

"Sorry, babe, I wish I was there" he admitted

"No, I want you to have fun, before all the long, sleepless nights of crying and nappy changing start" she replied a small sound of laughter behind her words. She was still quite in a dream about being pregnant.

"How you feeling now anyway? Better?" he inquired

"Much thanks. I had a sleep and now I'm starving" she informed him "I think I'm gonna go and raid the fridge"

"Alright then, babe" he replied "I'll see you Sunday, yeah?"

"See you Sunday. Have fun. Love you" she stated

"Love you too" he mirrored "oh, and babe, don't eat anymore toothpaste"

"I'll try" she chuckled "but I can't make any promises. The baby likes it"

"Okay" he laughed "see you babe, love you"

*JL*JL*

"Lauren?" Mandy questioned through the door

"Come in, hi" she informed her as she popped her head around the door

"Well you're looking better. You've got colour in your cheeks now" she admitted as Lauren snuggled back under the covers "I've made some soup, it's chicken, shall I bring you some up?"

Lauren's mouth began to water "That sounds good, thanks, and it's okay, I'll get up"

"No, you stay there! Joey would have a fit if he knew you weren't well and I let you out of bed" she replied "is there anything else you want? A banana? A yoghurt, maybe?"

"A yoghurt please… just a plain one" she replied

Mandy returned a few minutes later with two bowls of soup and a yoghurt for Lauren "Would you mind if I joined you? Everyone else is out"

"Of course not" Lauren informed her, itching across the bed so Mandy could sit down

Mandy watched Lauren intently, grimacing as she tipped the yoghurt into the bowl of soup and began to eat "Interesting choice"

"Sorry" Lauren mumbled, mouth full of soup

"It's fine, it's just something I've never seen you do before" she admitted

Lauren smiled at her and continued to eat her soup, finishing it off a couple of minutes later "That was delicious"

"Glad you enjoyed it" she replied "oh, I meant to ask you, you don't have any nail polish remover, do you? I put this on and don't really like it"

Lauren nodded and pointed to the bottom drawer of the dressing table in the corner… "Help yourself. Actually, I think there's some over there"

Before she knew it though, it was too late, Mandy was already holding several items in her hands, looking at them in shock. Baby grows! "Lauren, are you pregnant?"

"I might be, just a little bit" she replied, smiling lopsidedly. Looking at the neutral baby clothes.

"How much is a little bit?" Mandy questioned, raising an eyebrow at her niece

"As in two positive pregnancy tests, a trip to the doctors and a 7 week scan picture little bit" she informed her. Lauren watched as Mandy examined the tiny items of clothing in her hand and sat on the edge of the bed in a daze.

"Wow, you're really pregnant" she whispered, shocked

Lauren nodded, seeing the smile start to break out on Mandy's face "We're 10 weeks along now. Doctor says baby is fine and growing well. I'm surprised you haven't noticed sooner. Joey hasn't exactly been discrete about it. He keeps touching my stomach all the time and he's been reading baby books as well. Baby hasn't exactly been behaving well either, it likes to make me sick"

"Morning sickness" Mandy proclaimed, finally clicking as to why Lauren was sick earlier in the morning "and the soup with yoghurt. Now you say it, I can see it, well the signs, your still as thin as ever"

"Really?" Lauren asked, lifting up joeys top she was wearing, seeing a small round bump "baby's starting to look visible"

"Oh, Lauren" she sighed, placing her hand over her heart "I'm so excited. I'm going to be a Nana, Derek's going to be Grandad and Alice is going to be an Auntie… it's so exciting Congratulations"

Lauren smiled at her Auntie… "Do you mind if we keep it quiet a little longer though? We have another scan in two weeks when we'll be at the 12 week mark. We want to tell people then"

"Of course" Mandy assured her, pulling her into a hug and kissing her forehead "you need anything, you just ask, alright?"

"Thank you, Joey will be relieved to know you know, he hates hiding things from you"

"oh ye because this is the first thing you pair have hidden from me isn't it?" Lauren looked guiltily at her auntie "well I'm relieved to know I'm not the last to know this time"

"nope you're the first" Lauren grinned, knowing it would make Mandy feel better.

"good. I'll let you get some more rest" she kissed Lauren gently on her forehead and left the room.

Lauren smiled placing her hands on her stomach "just us again baby"


	37. Chapter 37

**Chapter 37**

Joey returned home on Sunday night to a much perkier looking Lauren. The sickness had practically stopped, thanks to a trip to the doctors on Saturday afternoon that Mandy had pretty much dragged her to. She was very grateful in the end though. Her sickness had been non-existent these past few weeks and Joey had successfully managed to cure her toothpaste craving. It seemed she got the same kick from a packet of Tic-Tacs…

"Come on, Lo, we're going to be late" Joey shouted from the bottom of the stairs to his fiancée who was on go slow mode "Lauren, I'm not joking, we really need to go"

"In a minute" she yelled back. Her hormone levels were through the roof at the minute and Joey was feeling the brunt of them. Another five minutes passed and he was considering going up to carry her down. "Keep your knickers on, I'm here" she bit as she stomped down the last few stairs. Joey looked at her and shook his head… "Well go on then, what're you waiting for?"

Joey quickly moved from the hallway and out of the front door to the car… "Are you okay? Lauren?"

"Can you put the air con on? It's too hot in here" she moaned as they pulled away. Joey did as she asked and opened his window. They drove in silence, Lauren fidgeting the entire way… "Do you want to drive any slower?"

Tightening his hands on the steering wheel he pulled out of the lane of traffic and into a side road, switching off his car engine, turning to her, seeing her looking at him blankly… "Do you want to be any more of a cow today?"

Lauren looked at him for a moment and then instantly burst into tears, guilt washing over Joey… "Babe, don't cry. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap. I know it's just your hormones"

"I'm sorry" she whispered in between sobs, smiling weakly as he placed his hand on her bump

"Don't apologise. It's fine. Look, we'll go for the scan and then we'll go and spend the day doing whatever you want, how about it?"

Lauren smiled warmly and nodded her head "What do you think it looks like now?"

Joey turned the car around and pulled out into the main stream of traffic again, thanking the driver who let him through. "I think it'll look much bigger than before. It'll be about the same weight as a pea pod. And it'll have started to develop, but we won't be able to tell what it is yet"

"Wow, someone's clued up" she chuckled

"I like to know what's going on in there" he admitted "anyway, the app is proving very interesting"

"If you say so" she replied, shaking her head at him as they pulled into a parking space. Secretly she loved how interested and involved he wanted to be. He was perfect, in every sense of the word…

*JL*JL*

The two sat in the consulting room a little while later. The nurse had just gone to get Lauren's notes. She was lying on the bed, t-shirt rolled up and leggings rolled down… "Morning, Lauren, let's take a look at baby, shall we?"

Lauren nodded her head as the nurse squirted the gel onto her stomach… "Sorry, I should've warned you how cold it was"

"It's bloody freezing" she proclaimed, chuckling lightly. Joey smirked at her and squeezed her hand, their attention being caught as the sound of their baby's heartbeat filled the room… "Is that what I think it is?"

"Sure is" the nurse informed her "nice and strong. This is booked in under your 12 week scan, which means you're almost 13 weeks. Does that seem right to you?"

Joey and Lauren looked at each other and nodded their heads.

"Is everything alright?" Joey questioned

"Perfect" she replied "the baby's at 6.5cm in length which is right on target, and look, it's having a bit of a wiggle. I'll print some pictures off for you both"

Sitting up, Lauren took the tissue from the nurse and wiped the remaining gel from her stomach, climbing off the bed with Joey's help, readjusting her clothes… "We can tell people now; your Dad, Alice"

"What about your Mum and Dad? And your Nan and sister?" he questioned, her frowning in reply "Lauren, they need to know"

"I'll tell them soon" she informed him

"When we've had the baby and it starts it's first day of school?" he inquired

"Preferably, yes" she replied "are you forgetting that if I tell them, I'll have to tell them it's your baby. Imagine how ecstatic they'll be"

Joey sighed heavily, Lauren grinning triumphantly, kissing him softly.

"Right, here are your pictures" she informed them "any complaints, Lauren?"

"Not really, the sickness has died down now but seems to have been replaced with a hormonal rollercoaster" she admitted

"I'm afraid it's just another one of the joys of pregnancy, Lauren. If that's all then I'll see you in a few weeks time for your 4-month scan?" she inquired

"Yeah" Lauren replied "see you then, thank you"

*JL*JL*

Arriving home to an empty house, Lauren had decided she had the perfect way to tell everyone she was pregnant, so with a little help from Joey, she set her plan into action. Stripping her top and leggings, she changed into a pair of shorts. Setting the camera on timer in their room, she and Joey stood in front of it. Lauren was turned to the side so you could see her bump, Joey kneeling in front of it, his lips and hands pressed to her stomach. It took several attempts but they both finally found an image they liked. Once it was taken, Lauren sent it to her laptop and did some quick editing on it and sent it to her phone, inhaling and exhaling a deep breath as she wrote the message underneath:

_"This text entitles the owner to one cuddle when I arrive. Valid from October 12__th__ 2014. Lots of love and hugs from baby Branning and Mummy and Daddy xx"_

Sending it to everyone in her phone book; Uncle Derek, Uncle Jack and Alice included, both of them waiting for a reply. A few minutes later, her phone started to beep…

_From Whitney: "OMG, are you serious?"_

_From Uncle Jack: "Oh God help us. Another Lauren or Joey running around. Congratulations, guys, can't wait to meet baby Branning"_

_From Fatboy: "Hell yes, Uncle Fats in the house! Congrats, you two!"_

_From Lucy: "A baby? Do you know how expensive those things are? Congratulations xx"_

_From Alice: "EEEEEEEEEK! I'M GOING TO BE AN AUNTIE. But ewwwwwww at the thought of you two doing that! Can't wait, I'm so excited! Xxxx"_

Lauren sent messages back to everyone, thanking them and telling Whitney she was serious and that she'd speak to her soon. Moving to the bed with Joey, they both laid down, her head resting on his chest…

"You okay?" Joey asked a little while later

"Yeah, your Dad didn't reply though" she admitted, biting her bottom lip nervously

"Joey, Lauren" his voice proclaimed before Joey had chance to reply

"Upstairs, Dad" Joey informed him, both of them hearing his footsteps quicken, the door bursting open a minute later "Dad, you okay?"

"What's this all about?" he questioned, holding up his phone

Lauren and Joey looked at each other and then back to Derek. "surprise?" Joey smiled rather forced.

"is Lauren… are you ?" Derek stuttered shaking his head and then flicked his phone open again. "the message said… the text"

Lauren nudged Joey up from the bed and in the direction of his father. After a few seconds of silent communication, Joey for up and walked over to his Dad, taking his phone from him. "you're going to be a granddad, Dad." Joey said handing one of Laurens scan pictures across to him.

"I'm way, way too young" he smiled "And are you alright Lauren ?"

She nodded getting up to join Joey "we're all good, Baby Branning is nice and healthy and growing strong I'm almost 13 weeks now"

"I'm so happy for you both… does your mother know?" he turned to Joey who became embarrassed "of course she does, bet she fished out of you ay Lauren ?"

"something like that ye" she mused causing Joey and Derek to Laugh. "oh and we're not telling my Mum and Dad, I doubt it would go down too well to be honest"

"it's fine Lauren, I wouldn't consider it…"


	38. Chapter 38

**Chapter 38**

"Joey, Joey!" Lauren screamed as she ran down the stairs as fast as her five-month bump would carry her, him appearing in an instant, hearing her shouts

"Are you okay? What's happened? Not having contractions or anything, are you?" he asked worriedly, seeing the tears running down Lauren's face "babe, talk to me"

"She's kicking" Lauren informed him, smiling warmly at him as she pulled his hands to her bump. They'd found out at one of the most recent scans they were having a girl and eagerly awaited the moment when they would be able to feel her kick. Lauren had felt movements a few times, but they were just swishing sensations. Now they were proper kicks.

"That's my girl" Joey sighed contentedly as he caressed Lauren's bump "you've no idea how long Daddy has waited for you to do that, young lady"

"Well she can wait around a bit before she does it again. It hurts" Lauren chuckled as she wiped her tears "ow, Joey, talk to your daughter, she's at it again"

Smiling at his fiancée warmly, Joey lifted up the top she was wearing, becoming mesmerised as he watched the skin of her stomach be poked and prodded from where their little girl was moving… "She gets all her strength from Daddy. Come on, food's up"

Lauren and Joey made their way into the kitchen to find the rest of the family in there, Mandy serving food with Derek trying to help, only getting told off.

"Have a seat, sweetie. Let's fatten baby up, shall we?" she questioned "we're having chicken paella"

"Smells delicious, Auntie Mandy" Lauren replied as Joey helped her into her seat

"So you two, any ideas on names yet?" Alice asked as the five of them sat down

"We like a few" Joey informed her. They'd got two names they liked and a reserve just in case baby girl Branning turned out to be baby boy Branning

"Well tell us then" Alice proclaimed

"Ignore Alice, you two. You can keep it as a surprise if you want" Derek informed them

"That's our plan" Joey replied, helping himself to seconds before filling up Lauren's plate too. Setting the serving spoon down when he was sure she had enough on her plate, he noticed her looking at him "what? More?"

"Yeah" she chuckled "it's baby's fault… she likes chicken"

"Were you like this when you were pregnant, Mum?" Joey asked as he watched Lauren work her way through another mountain of food. He was pretty sure she'd make herself sick if she didn't slow down

Mandy nodded her head "I was exactly the same, especially with you"

"Eating 24/7 she was" Derek informed them "Looks like baby is taking after Joe already ay ?"

"poor child" Alice stated a small smile shot in her brothers direction.

"well hopefully she'll take after her beautiful Mummy instead" Joey kissed Laurens cheek as he began to help his Mum clean the table. "anyway Alice….I saw you with that lad who works on the Market, Thomas is it?"

He smirked as Alice shot him a death stare. She turned back to see her father with a raised eyebrow… "It's nothing, Dad, we're just friends"

Derek narrowed his eyes at his youngest " ye Well that's what your brother said about Lauren, now she's 6 months pregnant and engaged to him"

"Can we leave my fiancée and our unborn child out of this please?" Joey asked, turning to see Lauren looking rather flustered

"You started it" Alice proclaimed, a bickering match starting immediately

"Alright, children" Lauren sighed "come on, Joe, I want a bath"

"Do you really need a bath?" he questioned, quickly drying his hands, both of them making their way out of the room.

"Yep, baby likes the water" she informed him "I like the water, and I like it even better when my sexy fiancée is in there with me"

Joey smirked at her, running his hands down her arms, sending shivers through her body "Is my girl in need of some love?"

"Love, sex, satisfying. Whatever you wanna call it" she replied

"Can't deny you that then, can I?" he inquired, raising an eyebrow at her, distracting her successfully before sweeping her into his arms, kissing her softly before taking her upstairs

Downstairs Mandy, Derek and Alice were finishing the tidying up when they heard the giggles and the shutting of the bathroom door, followed by more laughter… "Drink at The Vic?"

Derek and Alice nodded their heads immediately the three of them leaving the house in a hurry not wanting to stick around to hear what was about to happen in the bathroom.


	39. Chapter 39

**chapter 39**

Lauren looked at the calendar on the kitchen wall, her hand resting on her bump... "You best be on time, lady. Mummy's getting too big for her liking now"

"She's still got two days yet, babe" Joey chuckled as he kissed her cheek. It was two days before Lauren's due date and her patience was wearing paper, paper thin. Mandy and Derek had gone away for their anniversary and Alice was at her friends for the weekend so the two of them, three of them including baby, had the house to themselves…

"I don't think I can take much more, Joe" she admitted "she needs to get out now. I have no idea how I'm gonna get her out of me. She's gonna be huge"

Joey sighed and pulled Lauren into him, his arms tightening around her "do you think if I squeeze you tight enough, she'll just pop out of you?"

"Stop teasing, Joe. You have no idea how uncomfortable this is" she sighed

"I'm sorry, babe" he replied "she'll be here when she's good and ready, no sooner, no later. And if me and you are anything to go by, she'll be late"

It was the thought of being overdue that caused Lauren to slap Joey across his arm "Do not say that. We are not encouraging her to stay in there any longer. If she's late I'm blaming you"

"Hear that, baby? Mummy's making threats already" he chuckled, squeezing her bum as she turned away from him "come on then, moaning mini, what're we doing today?"

"There's not a lot we can do really" she admitted "I saw the midwife yesterday and she said to just walk small distances and stay close to home"

*JL*JL*

Eventually Joey suggested they went to the Vic for lunch, the Vic had been turned into a central part of the square now. New owners were in and everyone got on well with them. Joey and Lauren had become good friends with Johnny and Nancy. Lauren and Nancy had got on really well from the first time they met, neither had perfect relationships with their parents and so it created grounds for their friendship. Not to mention the fact Nancy had punched Dexter, which Lauren thought was pretty funny.

They made their way to the Vic around 1, Joey helping Lauren sit before going to order.

"yes handsome, what can I get you?" Linda smiled as she saw Joey

"Two glasses of orange and two chicken wraps please" he looked at Lauren and then back to Linda "better have a portion of chips for grumpy over there too please"

"coming right up…. Still no sign of baby?" Joey shook his head

"nope Lauren thinks she'll be late"

"Nancy was like that. Stubborn from the day she was born" she admitted, chuckling as she took the money

"Oi, I heard that" Nancy shouted from the other side of the bar

"You were meant to, love" she chuckled, handing Joey his change "go sit down, I'll bring your drinks over to you, and your food should be about 20 minutes. And here, for Lauren, so she doesn't moan about being hungry"

"cheers Linda" he walked back over to the table putting their drinks down and handing Lauren the packet of crisps. "present from Linda… she said food would about 20 min…"

"I love that woman" Lauren sighed as she opened the crisps. "ow" she turned to look at Joey who was looking at her wide eyes. "just a kick"

"you sure?" he asked not completely convinced by her answer

"positive" she nodded smiling. "actually can you help me up… she's kicking my bladder again"

Joey nodded reaching for her hands to help her up "steady" he chuckled as she swayed slightly. "you ok ?"

She nodded "up too quickly… now hurry up or they'll be needing a mop" with much help from Joey she waddle off to the toilet.

Joey sat back in his seat deep in thought… "I'll give you a penny for them" a voice sounded to the side of him. He looked to see Mick collecting glasses. "away with the fairies there son"

Blinking a few times Joey chuckled softly "ye… just thinking"

"Where's the Mrs today?" he questioned

"In the loo" he informed him "baby's been playing havoc with her bladder"

Mick chuckled lightly and sat down on one of the barstools.

"Don't let her hear you laughing. She'll have you hung, drawn and quartered"

"No sign of the little one then?" he inquired, raising an eyebrow at him

"No, not yet" he replied

"Well you know where we are if you need anything" he stated, patting his shoulder before making his way back behind the bar.

*JL*JL*

Joey checked his watch for about the tenth time, Lauren had been taking her time. He saw Nancy chatting to Dexter in the corner, they were thankfully on talking terms now, well kissing terms would be more appropriate. "Nance?"

"Hello, Joseph" she greeted him

"Do me a favour, will you? Can you go and see if Lauren's alright? She went to the loo about 15 minutes ago"

"If she's on all fours I won't be turning into something from Call The Midwife" she informed him

Nancy made her way into the ladies toilets… "Lauren?"

"Yeah?" she questioned

"You okay? You're not causing a crime scene in here, are you?" she asked

"No, I'm coming" she replied, chuckling lightly, appearing from the cubicle "did Joey send you in?"

"Might have done" she admitted

"He knows how long it takes me" she sighed "and then once I'm done she starts again. I swear, Nance, she'll give you a run for your money when it comes to throwing punches "

"I'll hold you to that" she chuckled as Lauren washed her hands "come on, your lunch is getting cold"

*JL*JL*

"Well that's me well and truly worn out" Lauren admitted, dropping onto the sofa as she and Joey walked in after spending the afternoon at The Vic with Nancy, Dexter, Poppy, Fatboy and Johnny making bets on when baby Branning would arrive. Lauren had guessed the baby would be late by 3 days, Joey had said early and the others had all gone for late too…

"Do you wanna go to bed?" he asked

Lauren glanced at the clock and shook her head. "it's only half 5"

"ye and your tired…" she still shook her head "what about a film then ?"

"okay… you choose" she handed him a pile of DVD's she'd got from by the TV "nothing boring" she warned, Joey had a tendency to choose really rubbish films that she had no interest in what so ever.

"hmm… inception?" Lauren nodded, but Joey could tell she was already dropping to sleep. He put the DVD in and sat down on the sofa pulling Lauren onto his lap.

The film wasn't even half way through and Joey noticed she was fast asleep and probably had been for the majority of it, his arm was dead now from where she'd been lying, but he daren't move her and risk waking her. The last few weeks of the pregnancy had really affected her sleeping-in the sense that it took her ages to sleep at night but she would then be shattered throughout the day.

Deciding it was best and probably the safest option, Joey left her sleeping whilst he watched the rest of the film and some rubbish on the TV after. "baby… come on sweetheart, let's get you to bed"

Lauren hardly woke, but was awake enough to wall up the stairs and change. By the time joey had finished in the bathroom, she was fast asleep in the bed.

*JL*JL*

At half 1 on the Saturday morning Lauren woke with a start. Her eyes shot open as a surge of pain ran through her stomach. She was about to move to switch the lamp on when another quickly followed. She swung her legs out of the bed, only then noticing the wet sheets "Shi…o wow"

Nudging Joey in his side, she watched as he just groaned and turned over

"Fuck, Joey, wake up" she begged, hating the fact he was a heavy sleeper

Deciding she needed to move, she climbed from the bed and waddled to the bathroom. She sat down on the toilet when another surge of pain shot through her... "Joey! Holy crap, don't do this to me, baby, I know I said I wanted you out but please stay in there, just a little longer"

"Lauren?" she finally heard his voice call

"bathroom" she cried out desperately hearing his footsteps quicken as she moved her position.

"babe?" Joey looked around the bathroom door and saw her panting against the bath tub, on all fours, "oh god baby…" he moved quickly to her side running his hand under her t-shirt over her lower back.

"it really hurts Joe…" she squeezed his hand "don't just stand there… do something"

"just breathe babe…I'll get the car"

"call someone" she cried being cut off before being hit with another contraction.

"who?" Joey called beginning to panic

"call an ambulance… or uncle Jack… call bob the tucking builder for all I care… just get some one here now " she was vaguely aware of Joey on his phone talking to someone.

"ambulance on its way babe it'll be about 15 minutes…" he soothed

"she's not going to wait that long Joey…she's coming and she's coming now"


	40. Chapter 40

**Chapter 40**

"Julie call the… midwife" she shot at Joey, he was trying to coax her to move from the bathroom to somewhere more comfortable, but Lauren was having none of it.

"alright… midwife… midwife" sitting on the floor he fiddled with his phone, whilst trying to comfort Lauren. "oh hi Julie this is Joey Branning, Laurens partner… sorry for calling so late but Laurens in labour… we're at home"

"Joe this freaking hurts…!" Lauren hummed leaning against Joey, who winced as her fingers dug into his arm. Joey continued to answer the questions he was asked by the midwife…a sickening realisation hitting him when the midwife had told him it sound like Lauren was in established labour.

"Joey…" Lauren outstretched her hand taking his firmly in hers as her face scrunched up, she looked like she was pushing.

"Lauren, Julie wants to talk to you" he informed her, putting the phone on speaker, setting it on the side

"Hello" Lauren breathed

"Lauren, hi, darling" Julie greeted her "now you just need to stay calm, okay? Joey you need to remove Laurens underwear, we need to know what's going on"

Joey looked across to Lauren seeing her completely dazed "babe…You need to take you knickers off… " Without any hesitation Joey reached under her t-shirt and removed her underwear in a fluid movement.

"Lauren looks like baby changed the schedule ay ? how you feeling ?" the midwife asked.

"I'm in fucking agony." She said through gritted teeth.

Chuckling the midwife continued "Lauren, how far apart are your contractions?" Julie questioned

"Every minute or so" she informed her

"and have you called an ambulance ?"

It was Joey who responded this time "ye just before I called you…"

"Great. Okay, Lauren, remember what we practiced a few days ago? Breathe through the pain when you get a contraction..." Julie explained "but first, Joey, can you go and unlock your front door and get some towels?"

"Don't you dare leave me, Joey" Lauren proclaimed

"Babe, you heard Julie" he sighed

"o wow… this really hearts"

"I'm here, I'm here" he said moving back to Lauren, placing the pile of towels on the toilet lid. "just breath through it babe…" Lauren stared at him as he guided her through her breathing. Again she cried out, but with a much more forceful scream.

"Joey is she pushing?" he responded with a quick yes kissing her head. "Ok Lauren I need you to listen carefully... you and Joey are going to have to deliver this baby ok?"

Lauren and Joey exchanged a terrified look , Lauren shaking her head "What? We've booked a hospital room... pool and everything…It can't be happening now" she whimpered

"It's okay" she assured her "I'm gonna be here every step of the way and so is Joey. Joey, you ready?"

"Yeah" he replied With a quick squeeze of her hand Joey took a breath "what do we need to do?"

"Lauren you need to pant, short shallow breaths" Lauren began panting. "and Joey you need to put some of the towels on the floor, make sure Laurens leaning against something ok?"

"Ye done" Joey slowly took hold of Laurens hand. "it'll be alright babe…"

"Now Lauren I need you to push when you feel the need just go with it okay…"

Lauren pushed squeezing tightly to joeys hand, the midwife listening in "oh god ….it's stinging"

" sounds like your crowning Lauren...Joey, can you see baby's head ?"

"wow, Ye I can see it, …Your doing so good baby" He leaned up grazing his fingers across her cheek. "Lauren, you're doing so good," he repeated

"Joey you need to put your hand at that back of the baby's head, you need to steady it as Lauren pushes, we don't want it to just pop out ok…"

"Come on babe your doing so well, you've nearly done it" Joey encouraged

"It really hurts…" she cried again through gritted teeth, leaning against the side of the bath, her hands fitting at the towels on the floor.

"Lauren, you need to give 2 more really big pushes " Lauren nodded and took Joeys hand in hers the first push was all it took and the baby was pushed in Joey's hands.

"she's here, you did it babe, you did it" Joey beamed up at her leaning their foreheads together.

"wrap the baby up Joey keep her warm and give her to Lauren" Joey placed the baby in a towel passing her to Lauren. The two of them becoming distracted by their new arrival.

"Joey, Lauren, are you still there? I need you to stay with me"

"Yes yes, were still here" Joey breathed trying to control his emotions, he watched as Lauren rubbed the baby down, a small cry coming for the new arrival.

"I can hear baby crying so that's a good thing, the ambulance should be with you in 5, well done guys! Lauren you should be very proud of yourself."

"Thank you…" Joey hung up the phone moving to sit next to Lauren "I'm so proud of you babe… look at her she's so perfect" he peeked down looking at their daughter who was snuggled against Laurens chest.

**So that was all a little dramatic wasn't it... I'm really sorry that I haven't been replying to the reviews, life has been really hectic. But I read every single one of them and appreciate them all. So what's going to happen now ? Xxx**


	41. Chapter 41

**Chapter 41**

The paramedics arrived 5 minutes later to a very emotional couple sitting on the bathroom floor. Lauren and Baby Branning were quickly seen too, a paramedic clamped the cord showing Joey were to cut it. Their little girl was wrapped in clean blankets and was handed back to her Mummy.

"I don't see any issues but I'd still like you to come to the hospital with us, just to be sure."

Lauren nodded, not needing to be convinced it was best to be checked over, she'd do anything for her daughter, she knew that already.

"I'll go and get your overnight bag alright?" Joey kissed her softly and left the bathroom to get their things. On return he saw Lauren was ready to leave, she was in a stretcher chair type thing, baby Branning wrapped snugly in a blanket in her mother's arms, sleeping soundly.

*JL*JL*

As expected the two were given the all clear but were being kept in. Baby Branning weighed in at 6pounds 12oz, a healthy weight and not big at all considering Lauren was expecting her to be huge. Joey returned into the room after filling in some details at reception. Lauren was sitting on the bed, staring at their daughter, who'd she'd barley put down. Joey slid onto the bed , perching next to her, his arm going round her shoulder as she leaned into him.

"you've no idea how proud of you I am Lauren" Joey leaned in gently kissing her temple, his forefinger brushing over the soft skin of their daughters cheek. "we did good baby"

Lauren looked at him smiling contentedly "I can't believe she's ours… it's all a bit dreamlike"

"well she is definitely here and she's beautiful just like her Mummy…" the baby wriggled in Laurens arms begging to wake, Lauren had fed her and had successfully got her changed and settled back to sleep, all without much fuss. "Hello gorgeous girl…" Joey whispered

"someone wants to say hi to Daddy" Lauren smiled, gently passing the baby across to Joey, who took her instantly in his arms "we need to make a decision on her name…" Lauren mused.

"Isabelle" Joey murmured looking down at the angle in his arms. "she looks like an Isabelle …belle for short"

Lauren nodded, it was one of the two names they had chosen, and she couldn't deny, Isabelle felt right, she didn't look like a Mia. "Happy Birthday Belle Branning". Belle let out a small murmur, getting the attention of both her Mummy and Daddy.

"you are going to be such a miniature version of your Mummy aren't you, baby-belle ? She mumbles in her sleep too" Joey smirked turning to look at Lauren.

"No I do not" she proclaimed, hitting him half-heartedly.

"whatever you say beautiful… you know, she looks a little like Alice, when she was little, what do you think… Lauren?" a smile took to his lips, His heart melting when he saw her sleeping, her body curled up against him. She hadn't done that in a while, partly because her hormones had been everywhere but mainly because her bump didn't allow her to get that close. He leaned down, shuffling Belle in his arms, his hand moving to push Laurens hair behind her ear "sweet dreams baby".


	42. Chapter 42

**Chapter 42**

"Right, Lauren, I think you and little one are ready for the off" the midwife on duty informed her and Joey the next morning. Lauren had already dressed Belle and had her in her arms, awaiting her discharge. "You'll have to have a follow up visit in a few days' time with Julie, and she'll go from there with you, do you have any questions?"

Lauren and Joey glanced at each other, both of them shaking their heads, as scary as it was, they just wanted to go home. Joey had made a quick trip back earlier on the morning, so he could get the car and car seat.

"Fantastic" the midwife proclaimed "if you'd follow me, you can sign your discharge papers and you can go" she smiled brightly at the young couple, it was clear even to her, how in love with each other they were.

Joey helped Lauren ease herself off the bed. She was feeling the aftermath of yesterday's dramatic birth now and was in quite a lot of pain, something which the midwife had said would ease after a while, as long as she rested. Taking Belle from her arms, Joey placed her in her car seat and picked it up from the ground, entwining his hand with Lauren's as they followed the midwife from the room and made their way down the corridor to the reception desk.

"I feel as though I'm signing my life away here" Lauren admitted as she signed her discharge papers, glancing slightly at Joey and Belle.

"First day of the rest of our lives, babe" Joey replied, kissing her temple softly.

"Trust me, Lauren, you are" the midwife chuckled "have a safe journey home and don't be afraid to contact Julie if you need any support at all or have any queries. That's what she's there for"

"Thank you for everything" Lauren replied, smiling warmly at her "come on baby Belle". It was a nickname they'd quickly adopted, Lauren admitted it was cute despite here initial reaction of it reminding of cheese.

"Ready?" Joey questioned as she said her goodbyes and made her way back down the corridor. Lauren glanced at Belle who was now sleeping soundly in the car seat and nodded her head, Joey entwining his hand with hers once again. Leading her to the car park, Lauren climbed into the car as Joey placed the car seat into his car and climbed into the driver's seat "She's all nice and snug"

"She looks it too, just wish I could be" she admitted glancing back to the back seat.

"As soon as we're home, you can have our bed all to yours I promise" he assured her, kissing her softly before starting his car engine

*JL*JL*

Joey pulled up in the Square fifteen minutes later, glancing at Lauren. She looked so peaceful and innocent It killed him but he had to wake her up. Kissing her forehead softly, he smiled as her eyes fluttered open "We're home"

"Already?" she questioned looking at number 23 through the window "Belle's okay, isn't she? She doesn't need feeding or changing, does she?"

"No, she's still sleeping" he informed her, handing her his house keys from his jeans pocket "you get inside and get settled, I'll bring this one in"

"I'll carry her" Lauren stated.

Joey shaking his head in response "no way, it's heavy and you aren't allowed to lift anything even remotely heavy for the next few days"

Lauren pouted with a sigh, but went into the house. Joey followed Lauren into the house and watched as she made her way up the stairs and flopped down onto the bed. He chuckled at her softly as he placed Belle into her Moses basket, tucking her in correctly like they'd been shown.

"she's such a heavy sleeper" Joey smiled, Lauren smiling in response. Kicking his shoes off, he moved onto the bed next to Lauren, her quickly snuggling into him and falling to sleep.

*JL*JL*

It was half past three by the time Joey and Lauren woke again. Belle had woken up for a feed an hour earlier, Lauren seeing to her instantly, and settling her back to sleep. The two exchanged odd glances as they heard muffled voices outside of the door. Listening more intently, they could hear it was Derek and Mandy.

"Oh God, Derek, look at it. There's blood everywhere. Something's happened" Mandy proclaimed, Joey rightly imagining her pacing the landing.

Joey looked at Lauren, confusion etched on his face. Lauren chuckled softly and mouthed "bathroom" to him. They'd been whisked off in such a hurry the night before the bathroom was probably resembling something close to a murder scene. Joey had changed their bed when he'd made the trip home but hadn't even thought about the bathroom. Lauren looked at him, the conversation still going outside their door.

She slid from the bed and picked up a stirring Belle from her Moses basket "Good afternoon, beautiful"

"Shall we go and make our presence known?" Joey inquired moving to her.

Lauren nodded her head, only with slight hesitation "Let's go see what Nana Mandy and Granddad Derek have to say about your surprise appearance, shall we, little lady?"

Joey opened the bedroom door and made his way out onto the landing, grabbing the attention of his parents.

"There you are" Mandy proclaimed "what's happened? Is everything okay? Is Lauren okay?"

"See for yourself" he replied, Lauren stepping out of the bedroom and moving to Joey's side

"Hi" she greeted them both, a soft smile teasing her lips as she looked down at Belle "I'm fine, we're fine"

Mandy and Derek stood frozen to the spot, blinking rapidly to make sure what they were seeing wasn't a dream "You had the baby? But… when ?" Mandy garbled, completely perplexed.

"Yeah, last night" Lauren informed her

"Why didn't you call us and let us know?" she questioned

"We didn't have the time. Everything happened so quickly, one minute we were sleeping next she was here" Joey explained

Lauren handed Belle to her Nana "Meet Isabelle Branning" she said moving back into Joeys arms.

"Belle for short" Joey added "our little baby Belle"

"She's beautiful" Mandy sighed contentedly, gently jostling Belle in her arms "isn't she, Derek?"

"She sure is" he replied. Joey and Lauren watched, wide smiles on their faces as the new grandparents cooed over their granddaughter.

"and everything's ok with the two of you?"

Lauren nodded "we're good…I think Joe maybe a little traumatized though, he had to deliver her."

Derek and Mandy turned to look at him puzzled looks on their faces. "she's not lying… that's why the bathrooms such a state… it was scary as hell… amazing though" he kissed Laurens forehead, his arm pulling her a little closer.

"I'm very proud of you both" Mandy smiled kissing them both whilst Derek took his turn with Belle. "she is perfect "


End file.
